


Mending The Gap Is Harder Than Creating It In The First Place

by Illusinia



Series: More Than She Seems [10]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Adoption, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-13
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2017-12-14 20:52:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/841262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Illusinia/pseuds/Illusinia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The gap between Darcy, Jane, and Tony is equivalent to the Grand Canyon. Pepper wants to shrink it to the size of a creek.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pepper Meets the Finches

Pepper's eyes were glued to the window as she rode through the streets of the small Colorado town. She'd insisted that Tony wasn't allowed to contact the Finches, but she'd never promised not to do so herself. Loki and Dani had taken Darcy away to a lodge in Norway a week prior to work out her emotions. The result had been Tony and Jane falling into a funk that worried Pepper more than a little.

 

An e-mail to Dani (who's personal e-mail address Phil had been kind enough to hand over) had confirmed the group would be gone for at least a few more days, if not longer. Dani had left early though to go research Darcy's mother in Tucsan, and was currently in Colorado checking in with her own parents. She'd also been kind enough to offer to show Pepper where the Finches lived.

 

Despite the apparent friction between the two friends (Natasha's words), Dani was still loyal and refused to send the address to anything electronic Pepper owned. Apparently Tony's tendency to hack anything electronic was legendary, even among the scientists of the high security R&D block. Of course, Pepper had fully agreed, which is why she was meeting Dani at a cafe the younger woman had specified.

 

The cab rolled to a stop in front of a locally owned coffee shop. It was small, with an overhang barring the name and several potted plants out front. The whole thing was very artistic in a way. Paying the driver, Pepper climbed out of the cab easily and headed inside.

 

Several of the patrons looked up as Pepper walked in, but no one really said anything. Though they certainly began whispering rapidly. She ignored everyone though in favor of heading to the back of the cafe where she could see Dani sitting. At least, she thought it was Dani. The girl in question was wearing a college sweatshirt identical to one Darcy usually wore, but had red hair were Dani's was usually a coppery brown.

 

Dani looked up as Pepper approached, offering her a smile and small wave. The first thing Pepper noted was that she looked exhausted. “Hey Pepper.”

 

“Hello Dani,” greeted Pepper, brow furrowing. She swore there was a mother hen streak in her; it was somehow impossible for her not to worry about an overworked or exhausted scientist. Gracefully, she slid into the seat across from Dani. “You look exhausted.”

 

“Yeah,” admitted Dani. “I found out I don't sleep well on planes.”

 

“And you've been on several recently,” stated Pepper with a shake of her head. “When was the last time you slept?”

 

Dani shrugged. “I caught a few hours while waiting for the plane from Tucsan to here. Does that count?”

 

“You're as bad as Tony,” remarked Pepper with a sigh. “Have you been home yet?”

 

“No, my plane just landed two hours ago,” explained Dani. “I know my parents won't let me leave for a while once I get there, so I opted to wait until you arrived before heading home.”

 

“Thank you,” thanked Pepper. “I really do appreciate that.” Her eyes fell to Dani's coffee cup. “Are you going to be able to sleep with whatever you're drinking in your system?”

 

“Maybe?” replied Dani uncertainly. “It'll be fine. I've gone longer than 36 hours without sleep before.”

 

“So has Tony,” muttered Pepper. “It's never good.”

 

Dani just shrugged. “I'm also not inclined to build crazy and potentially destructive mechanical devices when running on a lack of sleep.”

 

“You are less destructive,” admitted Pepper with a shake of her head. “Shall we go? You probably want to get home as soon as possible.”

 

“Not really,” muttered Dani with a sigh, even as she stood up. “But we probably should get going. The Finches should be home by now and you'll want to catch them early on. They used to go out in the evenings.”

 

Pepper nodded, sliding out as well. “That would be prudent.”

 

“Want some coffee before we go?” offered Dani, gesturing to the front of the coffee bar. “They make great espresso here.”

 

“No, thank you,” passed Pepper. “The doctor said I can't have coffee right now.”

 

Both of Dani's eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Uh, okay. Wow, that's unexpected. Have you told Tony?”

 

“Not yet,” sighed Pepper. “I'm waiting until we have this mess with Darcy sorted out first. The last thing I want is to add stress to his current situation and there's no rush at the moment.”

 

“Right,” stated Dani with a shake of her head as she headed for the door. Apparently, she was too exhausted to really know how to handle that information. “Er, I won't tell anyone, just so you know.”

 

“I didn't think you would,” replied Pepper with a shrug, following Dani outside.

 

The young scientist started down the block once they were on the sidewalk. “I hope walking's okay with you. The Finches don't live very far from here. Three blocks at the most.”

 

“That's fine,” assured Pepper gently. “Where do your own parents live?”

 

“They live two blocks over from the Finches,” explained Dani. “Near the school. Darcy and I used to walk home when we were kids, even when it was snowing out.”

 

“You walked home?” asked Pepper, a little surprised. “Alone?”

 

Dani nodded. “This isn't exactly a dangerous area. Plus, we usually went to my house and the Finches would pick Darcy up from there. My house was kind of our go-to hang out before we had the junk yard.”

 

“The junk yard,” repeated Pepper, one eyebrow rising in surprise. “You spent your days in a junk yard?”

 

“Yeah,” confirmed Dani with a nod, sipping her coffee. “Zee gave us the old auto shop on the property as a workshop. Well, he gave _Darcy_ the space in exchange for her helping him repair various things people brought around.”

 

“That's less surprising than it should be,” stated Pepper with a laugh. “I could see that, somehow.”

 

“It worked out well for us,” agreed Dani. “We had a place away from everyone where we could plan our pranks and Darcy got a killer workshop. The only downside was that she practically lived in that space in the summer or when she was angry at her parents.”

 

Pepper nodded slowly, taking this information in. “Did she have a normal childhood?”

 

Dani shrugged. “As normal as any genius I'd imagine. She fought with her parents over stupid stuff, played pranks, built a mechanical dog, built her own car from the ground up, had a part-time job, and befriended the Norse God of Mischief.”

 

“You know only about fifty percent of that is actually normal, correct?” asked Pepper with a touch of a smile. Of course Darcy didn't have a normal childhood; Stark's weren't allowed to have normal childhoods. They weren't allowed to have normal _anything_.

 

“I know,” confirmed Dani. “That's why I said 'as normal as any genius'. We aren't allowed to be normal.”

 

“True,” agreed Pepper. “Tony's wasn't particularly normal either.”

 

“I know, I saw the file,” remarked Dani. “It was both impressive and a touch scary.”

 

“Which is basically how Tony is in person,” stated Pepper with a shake of her head.

 

Dani nodded. “He's like a storm.”

 

“Or a moose,” muttered Pepper.

 

Dani burst out laughing. “Now that's an image.”

 

“Yes, it is,” chuckled Pepper. “But sometimes I swear it's accurate with the way he stomps around when he's angry. It's like watching an enraged bull moose.”

 

“Now he sounds like Darcy,” sighed Dani. “She could really get going when you got her angry. It was hard to do most of the time, but hit the right target and you weren't getting out of that conversation before she tore a few holes in you.”

 

“She sounds like a spitfire,” stated Pepper.

 

“I'm almost positive that's a Foster trait,” stated Dani, “based on what Darcy said about Jane when she's angry.”

 

Pepper sighed with a nod. “How surprised were you that Darcy is related to Tony and Jane?”

 

“When I thought about it? I wasn't,” replied Dani with a shake of her head. “I used to tease Darcy that I thought she was actually the secret love child of Tony Stark when we were kids, but I wasn't serious. Statistically, it's nearly impossible that they'd ever have contact. Literally, this whole mess _defies_ the laws of statistics. But, statistically, something has to.”

 

“That's looping logic,” muttered Pepper with a shake of her head. “What did Darcy do for fun when she was younger?”

 

Dani shrugged. “She'd tell you she loved playing pranks and building things. So would Loki, and she did love playing pranks. But she loved building things more. The pranks were more like her way of acting out. She had a lot of pent up anger about her parents. She'll tell you until her face is blue that she was mad her parents lied to her about her adoption, and she was. It was the pain of knowing she'd been abandoned that hurt more though.”

 

Running a hand through her hair, Dani let out a heavy breath. “Her mother, when confronted, made the mistake of telling Darcy her biological grandparents had put her up for adoption. It left Darcy feeling abandoned, like there was something wrong with her because _clearly_ her biological family didn't want her. But she couldn't lash out at the people she wanted to, so she lashed out at her adoptive parents instead. Blamed her anger on their lie rather than the hurt she was feeling.”

 

“But she was actually angry about the lie, correct?” asked Pepper, furrowing her brow.

 

“Oh yeah,” confirmed Dani. “Extremely angry, and I don't blame her. She asked her parents a direct question and got a lie instead of the truth. Adoption isn't something you lie about, whether you think the person is ready to know or not.”

 

“They were trying to protect her,” argued Pepper gently. “Do you blame them?”

 

Dani shook her head. “It doesn't matter what how I feel about what happened, it matters what Darcy feels. Honestly, deep down, I think she knows her parents weren't trying to hurt her. The problem is, it's easier for her to believe they were.”

 

“I don't understand,” stated Pepper with a sigh. “How is it easier?”

 

“Because it gives her someone to be angry at,” explained Dani. “It gives her someone to feel angry with over everything that happened.” She stopped then, pointing towards a house on the corner of the street. “That's the house you want.”

 

Pepper nodded, examining the house Dani had pointed at. It was a simple two story house, English cottage architecture. The front yard was small but well-kept, with a tall wooden fence blocking any view of the back. “It looks nice.”

 

“It is,” agreed Dani. Turning to Pepper, the young scientist was careful to meet her gaze. “Look Pepper, no matter what Darcy has said about them, the Finches are nice people. They're human and they've made mistakes, but a lot of the friction between them and Darcy comes from the way her mind works versus theirs. They could never completely understand where she was coming from or how she saw the world. To them, her skill with all things mechanical was a talent that she should apply to get ahead in the world. To Darcy, it was a passion that she was willing to consider turning into a job so long as the job didn't take the passion out of her work. She didn't see eye to eye with them on much, so don't let her opinion of them color yours too much before you meet them.”

 

“I wasn't planning to,” assured Pepper. “But it's good to know at least one person who knew them thinks they were good parents.”

 

“I think they're good _people_ ,” corrected Dani with a shake of her head. “I can't comment on their parenting because I'm biased.”

 

Pepper chuckled a little. “Regardless, at least someone thinks they're nice.”

 

“Yeah, they are,” confirmed Dani. “But please, no matter what they ask, don't give them a way to get into contact with Darcy. If they're going to get that information, it needs to be from _Darcy_ and not someone who _knows_ her.”

 

“Understood,” assured Pepper. “I'll be careful not to give too much away.”

 

“Thanks,” thanked Dani with a sigh. “I need to get home, but if you need anything just call. And good luck.”

 

“Thank you,” thanked Pepper. “I will.”

 

Dani nodded and waved before heading further down the block and turning the corner. Once the young scientist was gone, Pepper took a moment longer to just stare at the house. It was hard to believe Darcy had grown up in a place like this. She didn't know what she'd been expecting, but it wasn't this place. Everything was neat and tidy, certainly not the kind of place anyone would expect to find a genius prankster who happened to be best friends with the God of Mischief.

 

Taking a fortifying breath and wondering for what had to be the tenth time if she was overstepping some boundary, Pepper crossed the street and started up the Finches' walk. Their yard was very well tended, not a dead flower in sight. The house had no chipping paint or any signs of age. It might have been creepy if it weren't so pretty.

 

Knocking, Pepper stepped a little ways back from the door and forced herself to relax. She was visiting the childhood home of her boss-turned-lover's unknown daughter in hopes that she could obtain information about said daughter's childhood. There was absolutely nothing weird about this.

 

That was a lie. Everything about this was weird. She just refused to accept that.

 

An older woman answered the door, offering Pepper a warm smile. She was probably of moderate build with blond hair and slightly tanned skin, likely from gardening. Her eyes were a light brown that looked to be flecked with something, although it was hard to say what. Really though, she looked nothing like Darcy. “Can I help you?”

 

Pepper offered the woman her best 'hello, it's very nice to meet you' smile. “I hope so. Are you Mrs. Finche?”

 

“I'm Isabelle Finche,” confirmed the woman, brow furrowing. “Can I help you?”  
  


“My name is Virginia Potts,” greeted Pepper, offering Isabelle her hand. “I'm the CEO of Stark Industries.”

 

Isabelle's eyes widened, followed by a quick nod. “It's a pleasure, Ms. Potts. What can I do for you?”

 

“Well,” began Pepper, fishing a photograph of Darcy out of her purse. “I'm trying to find out more information about an employee, one Darcy Lewis.” She offered the photo to Isabelle, who's eyes went wider and began to tear up. “I believe you may know her?”  
  


“Yes,” confirmed Isabelle, taking the photo reverently. “She's my daughter.” Opening the door further, Isabelle gestured for Pepper to enter. “Please, come in. My husband is in the kitchen, if you could just wait a moment. Go ahead and take a seat. Can I get you anything?”

 

“Water, please,” requested Pepper kindly, noting the almost frantic way the woman moved to the kitchen. She moved into the room Isabelle had gestured too, her eyes sweeping the space curiously as she took a seat on one of two chairs opposite the couch in the room.

 

Both Isabelle and her husband were back less than a moment later, faster than Pepper could even evaluate anything about the room. The woman handed Pepper a bottle of water while the man Pepper assumed was Mr. Finche took a seat across from her.

 

“Miss Potts, correct?” asked the man, running one hand over the top of his balding head. He looked several years older than his wife, though that could have been genetics. The top of is head was entirely bald, with hair only on the sides. The remaining hair was salt and pepper in color and thinning relatively rapidly. His brown eyes rose to meet hers, hope and fear clashing across his face. “I'm Adam Finche. You're here about our daughter, Darcy?”  
  


“That's correct,” confirmed Pepper, taking the bottle of water gratefully and sipping at the liquid. “I'm trying to gather some information for Mr. Stark.”

 

“I don't understand,” muttered Isabelle. “We haven't seen our daughter in years. She-” The older woman's voice hitched, forcing her to stop speaking.

 

Adam picked up the conversation from there. “Our daughter stopped speaking to us years ago.”

 

“I'm aware,” stated Pepper calmly. “She fought with you over her decision to change majors.”

 

Isabelle nodded, tears forming in her eyes. “We were so afraid she was making a rash choice she'd later regret that we- we pushed too hard and she left. Just left.”

 

“Loosing a friend can cause people to do some dramatic things,” agreed Pepper. “She told us what happened.”

 

“She- she told you-” started Isabelle, her eyes going wide.

 

“Us?” repeated Adam, brow furrowing in confusion. “I don't understand. You know our daughter personally?”

 

“Yes,” confirmed Pepper gently. “She works with Tony regularly. They're...like minded. She's extremely talented.”

 

“She is,” agreed Isabelle slowly. “But I don't understand. She said she was changing to political science. Did she switch back?”

 

“No, she graduated with a political science degree,” confirmed Pepper. “But there were some...extenuating circumstances I can't discuss that resulted in her returning to the engineering field. Which leads me to what I came to discuss with you.” Withdrawing an envelope from her purse, Pepper offered the folded papers to the Finches. Adam was the one to take the envelope. “Part of the standard Stark Industries employee agreement includes the taking of a DNA sample for access purposes. We use biometric scanners in some of the more secure areas. When her DNA was taken, I had it run through the national database, just to ensure it didn't match any on-going investigations. I also ran it through the Stark Industries database for the sole purpose of checking that she hadn't formerly worked for us. The Stark Industries database came back with a partial match. Further analysis confirmed it was a paternal match. Her biological father is listed in that envelope, if you want to know.”

 

Adam didn't waist any time opening the envelope and withdrawing the folded sheet of paper inside. Of course, Pepper knew what it would say. She couldn't tell the Finches the truth, S.H.I.E.L.D security protocols were too strict. Besides, her story wasn't that far fetched; they really did regularly screen new employees to ensure no one had a criminal record. The second part was more of a stretch and restricted to the engineering division, but again it wasn't that far of a stretch.

 

“Wait,” ordered Isabelle, looking directly at Pepper. “Is this legal? Knowing this information?”

 

Pepper nodded. “I have the consent of her biological father.”

 

Nodding, Adam carefully unfolded the paper and just stared at it. Beside him, Isabelle choked a little and covered her mouth with one hand. “Is- is this right? Are you sure this is right?”

 

“Positive,” confirmed Pepper. “We ran the test twice.”

 

“But this means...” started Isabelle, shaking her head slowly.

 

Adam picked up where his wife left off easily. “This means we adopted Tony Stark's daughter.”

 

“I don't understand,” whispered Isabelle. “Why would he give up his daughter?”

 

And this was where things got tricky. Well, would. Could. Technically, this is where things did get a little tricky. “He didn't.”

 

That caught both parent's attention. They were just staring at her. Like they couldn't understand.

 

“That's not possible,” insisted Adam “We adopted her legally. How could we do that if her father didn't consent?”

 

“Because Darcy's biological mother never named her father,” explained Pepper gently. “She died before she could. As a result, Tony never knew about Darcy until these tests were run.”

 

“So we didn't legally adopt her,” muttered Isabelle, clearly horrified.

 

Pepper shook her head. “As far as Tony is concerned, you did legally adopt her. There was no way you could have known her father hadn't actually consented. Especially because it was her grandparents that put her up for adoption according to her biological cousin.”

 

“Biological cousin?” repeated Adam. “She has a cousin?”

 

“Yes,” confirmed Pepper. “A Stark Industries associate. Her cousin is actually how she became involved with Stark industries to begin with.” Leaning forward, Pepper locked eyes with both parents. “That isn't why I'm here, though. I'm here because Tony has become...distraught over this entire matter. He's upset that he never knew his daughter and knows so little about her life. Darcy, for her part, has disappeared for the moment with an old friend you may be familiar with. His name is Loki.”

 

“I remember Loki,” muttered Adam with a sigh. “I didn't like him.”

 

Isabelle rolled her eyes. “You just didn't like the fact that Darcy clearly liked him as more than a friend.”

 

“He got her into trouble!” argued Adam. “More than once!”

 

“That's not a surprise,” admitted Pepper. “But you should know, the way Darcy talks, it sounds like most of the trouble she got into on her own.”

 

“She did get into a lot of trouble on her own,” confirmed Isabelle. “She actually started getting into _less_ trouble once she started hanging out with Loki. Or at least she stopped getting caught.”

 

“Anyway,” continued Pepper, not wanting to rehash what is clearly an old argument, “he's taken her away for the moment so she can regain her balance. Which has left Tony slightly depressed. I came here hoping you might have copies of something that could help. Video, photographs, anything that could give him even a glance into her life.”

 

Adam's eyes narrowed at Pepper, suspicion crossing his features. “And why would Mr. Stark want any of that?”

 

“Adam!” exclaimed Isabelle, her voice filled with embarrassed shock. “The man is her father and never knew it. He just wants to know about his daughter. This is _Darcy_ we're discussing. She doesn't _talk_ about her personal life with anyone.”

 

“Mrs. Finche is correct,” confirmed Pepper. “Tony is feeling distraught that he never knew his daughter and is only now getting the chance to actually become her father in _any_ context.” Seeing the mistrust in Adam's eyes along with the hurt, she added: “You're daughter isn't trying to _replace_ you, Mr. Finch. Based on her reaction to the news, I doubt she'll want anything to change. But it will make Tony feel better just to know that his daughter's life has been good and that she was and is loved by the people who adopted her.”

 

“Put yourself in his shoes, Adam,” requested Isabelle quietly. “If you just found out that you had a daughter you didn't know about, wouldn't you want to learn everything you could about her?”

 

Adam didn't say a word, just stood up and left the room silently. Isabelle made a noise but didn't follow, turning her focus on Pepper instead. “I'm sorry for that, Miss Potts.”

 

“Please, call me Pepper,” requested Pepper gently. “I know this isn't easy for either of you to hear and I can guess what your husband is feeling; I'm just trying to give Tony some peace.”

 

Isabelle nodded, offering Pepper a soft smile. “It can't be easy to find out you have a daughter you never knew about. Especially one as closed-lipped as Darcy.”

 

“It isn't,” confirmed Pepper softly. “I just want him to find some kind of peace in everything. He's a good man who just found himself in a situation he doesn't know how to interpret.”

 

“Would he have taken her if he'd known about her?” asked Isabelle gently, even as she stood and headed for a bookshelf in the room.

 

Pepper shrugged slightly, watching the older woman move around. “I like to think he would have. Tony was an immature child when Darcy would have been born, but I think having someone like her in his life would have sobered him up. Maybe even kept him out of trouble, at least some of it.”

 

Nodding, Isabelle pulled a book off the shelf and held it to her chest before returning to her original seat. “Does he really want to become her father now?”

 

“He'd already more or less been acting as her psudo-father before we found out about any of this,” replied Pepper with a soft smile. “I see them working together and I see two people who are so much alike it wasn't much of a shock when someone said they actually were related.”

 

“I wish she could have been the one to tell us,” muttered Isabelle softly, her hand caressing the front of the book in her hands. Opening the cover, she offered the book to Pepper. “Darcy was such a happy child until she started asking about if we were her parents or not.” Sighing, Isabelle clasped her hands in front of her. “I wish I hadn't lied to her now. I wish that I'd just sat down and answered her truthfully when she asked the first time.”

 

“She was eight,” pointed out Pepper gently, her eyes falling to the photos in front of her. A sleeping infant stared back at her, snuggled in the arms of a younger Isabelle Finche. “You did what you thought was best.”

 

“It didn't feel that way when she confronted me,” muttered Isabelle with a shake of her head. “Did Darcy tell you what happened?”

 

“No,” replied Pepper quietly. She wanted to hear the story from Isabelle, rather than excuses for her actions. Excuses never did anyone any good.

 

Isabelle sighed, hands tightening more. “Someone should explain...”

 

\-------------------------------

 

“ _Mom.”_

 

_Isabelle turned in surprise at the sound of her daughter's voice. Darcy was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, one hand behind her back and a blank expression painted across her face. The normally energetic ten year old's eyes weren't excited or happy as they usually were; they were completely blank._

 

“ _Darcy?” asked Isabelle worriedly. “What are you doing home from school? Are you sick? Did something bad happen?”_

 

_Darcy carefully met her mother's eyes, face not giving anything away. Isabelle had only seen Darcy shut down like this once, the first time a bully had pushed her around for being smart. It had taken ages to convince her daughter there was nothing wrong with being smart; that it was a good thing. “Why did you lie to me?”_

 

_The statement made Isabelle balk. Where was this coming from? What was Darcy even talking about? “Sweetheart, what are you-”_

 

“ _You told me I wasn't adopted,” stated Darcy, eyes darkening as her temper started up. It was rare for Darcy to explode, but the few times it had happened started with large amounts of shouting and ended with Darcy refusing to speak to anyone for days afterwords. “It was a lie. I want to know why you lied.”_

 

_Isabelle felt ice form in her stomach. There had been no sign Darcy suspected she was adopted since she'd asked the first time. When they'd adopted her, the agency had recommended they not bring the topic up until she was at least fourteen to ensure their daughter could actually understand what had happened. Every child reacted so differently to the news, it was hard to say when was a good time. At the time, she and Adam had decided to wait._

 

_She ended up spitting out the first thing that came to mind. “Darcy, what are you talking about? We never lied to you. You're our daught-”_

 

“ _I'm your_ adopted _daughter,” specified Darcy, a scowl forming on her ten year old face. “And don't try to lie. I know you and Dad can't be my biological parents.” Pulling her arm out from behind her back, she held up a worksheet from school. “This is a Punnette square, used for determining biological probability. It's genetically impossible for someone to inherit traits that their parent's don't carry. I'm blood type O-positive. You and Dad are AB- and B-negative. It's impossible for me to have the O blood type if you're my parents, much less be O-positive. You're type AB, so you automatically can't be my biological mom because you don't carry the type-O gene. Dad could theoretically still be my dad biologically, except for the fact I'm blood type O-positive. The only way I could have Rh protein positive blood is if one of you did, too. And you're both negative. The more I sketch out my genetic code, the clearer that becomes that the chance I'm actually genetically related to one of you is very unlikely. So why did you lie?”_

 

_Sighing, Isabelle dropped into the first chair she could reach. God, this was a mess. Yes, she could lie further, but at what cost later? Darcy was a very smart child; frighteningly so. She had evidence to the contrary that they were her parents and she wasn't going to listen to any more attempts to dissuade her. “We lied to you because we didn't think you were ready to know.”_

 

“ _If I didn't want to know, I wouldn't have asked,” growled Darcy, dropping the paper in her hand on the table. “I kept feeling like a freak because I wasn't like you and Dad. I don't really look like either of you, I'm not good at the same stuff as you two are, and I don't have the same habits. I'm nothing like either of you, and it made me feel like I was broken. Instead, I'm not actually broken because I'm not your daughter to begin with!”_

 

“ _That isn't true!” stated Isabelle firmly, her own anger and distress pushing forward. “We raised you, Darcy. You're our daughter. You don't have to share our_ blood _for that to be true. We love you as if you were our daughter biologically. When it was confirmed your grandparents had signed the papers that let us adopt you, we were ecstatic because we finally had our own baby girl. Our own child! You are our child, Darcy. You are our baby girl, regardless of anything else! We got you when you were just three days old! We've taken care of you ever since, that's what makes us your parents!”_

 

_Darcy's face dropped, anger fleeing only to be replaced by horror and pain. “My grandparents...” Without another word, the little girl turned and ran from the room._

 

_Isabelle jumped up to go after her, but the outside door slammed shut before she could reach the kitchen archway. Darcy was gone from the room, and only the piece of paper that had started all of this was left behind. The only evidence that the whole thing hadn't just been a dream._

 

\----------------------------------

 

Pepper sighed as her eyes dropped to the album in her lap. The story was the same, but hearing it from Isabelle gave her some clarity about everything. She could only imagine how hard it must have been for Darcy to just outright accuse both Isabelle and Adam of lying to her; to be caught off guard like that by your own child with no time to try and rectify anything couldn't have been easy.

 

“I wish I hadn't lied to her,” whispered Isabelle. The woman's hands were shaking where they were clenched in her lap. “I wish we'd just told her the truth when she asked. Darcy is so much smarter than either of us, it was only a matter of time before she figured out the truth.”

 

“Hind sight is twenty/twenty,” stated Pepper gently. “You had no way of knowing that would happen.”

 

“No,” agreed Isabelle, “but nothing was the same after that. Darcy started getting into trouble and we just watched our little girl transform into someone we didn't know.”

 

“All children do that,” pointed out Pepper, offering Isabelle a smile. “Plus, Darcy is a Stark. I'm relatively certain it's impossible for them to avoid getting into trouble, regardless of how they were raised.”

 

Isabelle sighed heavily, nodding slightly. “Perhaps. And perhaps we drove her to such things.”

 

It broke Pepper's heart a little to see the woman in front of her crumble so much. She hadn't intended to cause any pain with her visit, though she'd known it was unlikely to be painless. Reaching out one hand, she carefully lay it over both of Isabelle's. “You can't blame yourself for the past, there's nothing you can do to change any of that.”

 

“I know,” whispered Isabelle, offering her a halfhearted smile. “I just wish she would speak to us.” Looking up, the woman stared at Pepper hopefully. “Is- is she alright? Does she seem happy?”

 

“Relatively,” replied Pepper, letting out her own sigh. “Having her adoption come up again seems to have spooked her, but she seems alright. Loki is taking good care of her.”

 

The halfhearted smile became a bit firmer. “She had a crush on him for as long as I can remember. She, Loki, and Dani would all come over to watch movies and sleep in the living room and every morning, I'd get up to find Darcy curled against Loki. Once, I came down when they were all asleep just as Darcy rolled over to curl next to Loki. He didn't even stir when she rolled into his side, just tossed an arm around her waist and hugged her close. Adam never liked it, but I thought it was very cute.”  
  


“They're very happy together,” remarked Pepper, smiling slightly as she thought of the few times she'd walked into the living room of Stark Mansion to find Loki sleeping on the couch with Darcy curled up on top of him. “She's happy, just so you know. Tony built her a workshop that's connected to his own and they were spending a lot of time together before this whole mess. They have been responsible for more than one explosion.”

 

“She's really happy?” asked Isabelle, joy slowly replacing the self-loathing and despair in her eyes.

 

“Really,” assured Pepper, squeezing Isabelle's joined hands. “I've gotten to know Darcy well in the past half a year, and she's very happy with where she is.”

 

Isabelle nodded, her hands relaxing beneath Pepper's. “I- I don't suppose you could give us a way to contact her.”

 

Pepper had known there was a very good chance someone would make this request. She'd actually prepared to tell them if they wanted to speak with Darcy, they would need to contact her though the Stark Industries phone lines. But after Dani's request earlier, she couldn't even bring herself to do that. “Unfortunately, I can't. It's against Stark Industries protocol to give out personal information to anyone.” Reaching into her purse, Pepper withdrew a business card and offered it to Isabelle. “It's not your daughter's contact information, but I can be reached at any time on my cellphone and I promise, I will talk with Darcy about reestablishing contact with you.”

 

Nodding sadly, Isabelle took the business card and carefully turned it over in her hands. “Thank you, for both the business card and respecting our daughter's privacy. It's good to know she has people watching over her.”

 

Before Pepper could respond, however, Adam reentered the room with a large box in his arms. Dropping it on the table in front of Pepper, he huffed out a sigh and dropped back into his original seat. “Those are our duplicates. Photos, burned CD's of movies, the works. Tell Mr. Stark that I hope he enjoys being a father.”

 

“Adam!” scolded Isabelle. “Mr. Stark isn't trying to replace us as her parents. He wants to know his daughter.”

 

“And clearly Darcy prefers him as her father,” snapped Adam. “She hasn't even spoken to us in years and now we find out she's found her biological father? It's hard to believe that he's not replacing us.”

 

“He isn't,” broke in Pepper, attempting to diffuse the situation. “Mr. Stark doesn't want to replace anyone.” Sighing, she rubbed the bridge of her nose a little. “Tony is a lot of things, but he's not a replacement for anyone's parents and he wouldn't want to be.”

 

Closing the album in her lap, Pepper carefully handed it back to Isabelle and focused on Adam. “After the information concerning her connection to Tony came out, Darcy ran. She doesn't want things to change and Tony isn't going to push that. If she wanted Tony to replace you, Mr. Finche, she wouldn't have bolted like she did. This entire situation has thrown everyone for a loop and, right now, Tony is feeling guilty. He won't admit it, but I know his 'guilty' face. He feels like somehow, he should have known about Darcy and raised her himself. But he can't do that and all he wants to do now is learn about his daughter.”

 

“Then why hasn't she contacted us?” growled Adam. “If for no other reason than to tell us she found her biological father?”

 

“Because she only found out a week and a half ago,” replied Pepper, trying to keep her voice as even as possible. “And she's been in Norway for a week of that time with Loki, trying to sort out how she feels about all of this.”

 

“We also didn't part on the best of terms,” added Isabelle as gently as she could. “I tried to make it clear that we were here for her no matter what, but she may not feel like she can discuss this with us.”

 

Adam sighed heavily, resting his forehead in his hand. “Can we contact her?”

 

“I'm sorry, but I can't give away personal information for Stark Industries employees to anyone,” apologized Pepper. “But I've given your wife my business card, which has my cellphone on it. You can contact me any time if you're worried or have questions and I will speak with Darcy about reestablishing contact with you. I'm not going to make any promises, but I will discuss it with her.”

 

“Thank you, Pepper,” thanked Isabelle as she stood and offered a hand to Pepper.

 

She nodded and stood as well, shaking Isabelle's hand. “No, I should be the one thanking both of you. I know this can't be easy.”

 

“It's not,” admitted Isabelle, “but we're happy to hear that Darcy is alive and doing well. Please, let me walk you out.”

 

“Thank you,” thanked Pepper as she picked up the box and her purse. “I'll make sure you get these back as soon as possible.”

 

“Those are all duplicates,” informed Adam, though he didn't look up. “Mr. Stark can keep them, or Darcy can if she wants them.”

 

Pepper swallowed hard, acutely aware of the pain the man in front of her was feeling. “I'm sure Darcy would love them. We all have a history, and we shouldn't forget it.”

 

Following Isabelle back to the front door, Pepper was careful to shift the box under her arm so she could shake Isabelle's hand again. “Thank you once more, Mrs. Finche.”

 

“Isabelle,” corrected Isabelle. “I should have told you that earlier. Everything was just happening so fast, I forgot.”

 

“It's alright,” assured Pepper. “I'm sure I'll be hearing from you again.”

 

“You will,” confirmed Isabelle with a small smile. Glancing back at the living room over her shoulder, the other woman carefully stepped outside and shut the front door. “For the record, I really am happy that Darcy found her father. If we'd known he didn't know she existed, we wouldn't have adopted her. As things stood, we were told all of the consent forms were signed by her family.”

 

“Her mother died before she could name Darcy's father,” explained Pepper. “That's why no one ever knew. This whole thing is a massive fluke; statistically, Darcy never should have run into her father.”

 

“I prefer to think of it as fate,” replied Isabelle, sighing. “I'm sorry to hear that her mother is dead, but maybe that's for the better. Darcy had a hard time facing the fact that she was given up for adoption to being with. We knew her grandparents had been the ones to put her up for adoption, but we weren't aware her mother was actually dead. We'd always assumed she was underage.”

 

“Natalie Foster was her mother's name,” informed Pepper quietly. “I probably shouldn't tell you that, but I'm not sure there's much harm in it given the circumstances. Her mother was a PhD student, 27, at the University of Arizona in Tucsan. There were complications when Darcy was born.”

 

Isabelle nodded slowly, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes. “Adam and I couldn't conceive. We tried and tried, but nothing worked. Finally, we just decided to adopt. I love my daughter to death, Pepper. But if I'd known her father didn't know about her, I wouldn't have adopted her.”

 

Pepper smiled reassuringly at the woman. “No one blames you for this. You gave Darcy a wonderful childhood and raised her well. That's all anyone can ask of you.”

 

Nodding, Isabelle wiped the corners of her eyes and pointed to the street. “Do you have a car?”

 

“No, I'll walk back to the main street and grab a taxi to the airport,” replied Pepper. “I'll be fine.”

 

“Alright,” sighed Isabelle. “Take care Pepper, and I will call you to check on my baby. Be aware of that.”  
  


“I look forward to it,” assured Pepper. “Try to have a good rest of the evening.”

 

“Safe trip,” answered Isabelle before she turned and disappeared back inside.

 

Releasing the heavy breath Pepper had been holding in through most of the conversation, she turned towards the street and started to head back to the cafe. That was one of the hardest conversations of her life, and she never wanted to do it again. _If Tony has any more illegitimate children, he can deal with them himself. I am never talking to the adoptive parents of Tony's love child again. Ever._


	2. Photographs Help Ease the Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pepper and Tony have a little chat about Darcy and her childhood.

Tony jumped a little as a box hit his work table, startling him. Glancing up, he found Pepper standing beside him, one hand resting on the box. Behind her, he could see Dani perched on one of the work tables in the room. She looked like hell, but she was back.

 

So, he asked the first question that came to mind. “Is Darcy back?”

 

“No, she's still away,” replied Pepper as she flipped open the flaps of the box.

 

Furrowing his brow, Tony leaned around Pepper to confirm he had see Dani perched on the table. Sometimes the 10th cup of coffee on a three day bender without sleep made him hilucinate. “So what's Natasha's twin doing back?”

 

“I went to see my parents,” supplied Dani with a scowl. “They weren't there. Apparently, in the time since I 'died', they moved or something.”

 

“Harsh,” remarked Tony, looking back at Pepper. “So, why's she here? No offense Dani, but S.H.I.E.L.D. staff people don't usually hang around my lab without a reason.”

 

“Ask Pepper,” replied Dani.

 

Pepper flipped open the lid of the box and began to remove stacks of photos. “I took the liberty of visiting Darcy's adoptive parents on your behalf, in hopes they could tell me more about Darcy. Information I wanted to pass on to you.” Lifting out a shoe box, she flipped it open and found stacks of DVD's inside. “Dani offered to interpret.”

 

Dani shrugged. “You gave me a lift back and an Ambien. It's the least I could do.”

 

“You don't need to repay me for any of that,” assured Pepper.

 

“Yeah, I do,” countered Dani, hopping off the table and circling around to where Pepper was stacking the photos. Randomly, she picked up a stack and started to flip through them. “We have rules for a reason. Our biggest one was that we'd help others without an expectation of return because we are strong enough to take whatever is thrown at us, but when we get help, we return the favor.” Shrugging, she pulled out a few of the photos from the stack. “Plus, reliving old memories can be fun.”

 

Flipping the image around, she revealed a photo of herself and Darcy. They were maybe five years old and grinning like loons at the camera. “For example, first day of kindergarten.” She slid the image of rest in front of Tony. “That's the day we met.”

 

“You guys look like best friends,” cooed Pepper.

 

“We were, even back then,” confirmed Dani with a shake of her head. “We didn't even speak the same language, literally, and yet we were close friends.”

 

“How does that work, anyway?” asked Tony with a raised eyebrow. “Can you even be best friends if you can't speak the same language?”

 

Dani shrugged. “We did it. I spoke mostly Russian with some English, she spoke all English. I learned English from her, she learned Russian from me.”

 

“So you taught each other,” concluded Pepper with a nod, picking up another stack of photos. “That makes sense.” Flipping through the images, she paused on one and pulled it from the stack. “What's this from?”

 

Taking the photo, Dani smiled at the image. “That would be from summer camp.”

 

“Darcy went to summer camp?” asked Tony curiously, taking the stack of photos from Pepper and flipping through the images. “Huh. What's with the string? You guys keep taking pictures with string.”

 

“Arts and Crafts,” supplied Dani, tossing the photo in her hands back into the box. “Darcy ended up building a catapult instead of whatever we were supposed to build. Then we nearly burned down the camp trying to figure out if we could build a fire-proof basket. Suffice to say, we were banned.”

 

Tony raised an eyebrow at Dani. “Why were you trying to build a fire-proof basket?”

 

“I have no idea,” admitted Dani. “Something about catapult ammunition and the boys cabin. That's all I can remember.”

 

Pepper shook her head, one of her hands resting on her hip. “So, the trouble making streak didn't start when you were ten then.”

 

“Definitely not,” confirmed Dani. “We started accidentally causing trouble when we were seven. It's the intentional trouble-making that started when we were ten. And then Loki ramped it up when we met him, so high school was really chaotic.”

 

Tony nodded, digging around in the box a little further and coming up with another stack of photos. He flipped through them curiously for a moment, then began spreading them out on the table. “JARVIS, scan all of these photos into the mainframe and create a folder for them.”

 

“Yes, sir,” confirmed JARVIS. “Scan commencing.”

 

As the green light that indicated the scan swept over the photos, Tony pulled out another stack and began flipping through them. “I know these. These are the ones from that science fair.”

 

“The one that awarded us attention from almost every national college over night,” confirmed Dani. “We didn't know there were college recruiters at the fair until we got there. Not that we really cared.”

 

“How did we miss you guys?” muttered Tony, staring at the photos. “I mean, Stark Industries is always recruiting.”

 

“At the college level,” reminded Pepper. “They were in high school.”

 

Tony nodded, turning to look at Pepper. “We're changing that policy, by the way. From now on I want us to recruit at the high school level, too. I mean, what if Hammer had gotten to her? My daughter would be working for that slime ball and I'd never know it.”

 

Dani shook her head. “Nah, Darcy has hated Justin Hammer for as long as I can remember. She never would have worked for him.”

 

“Well, at least that's a relief,” muttered Tony as he gathered the photos from the table and spread out another stack. Glancing at the photo's he'd laid out before, he frowned and spun one towards Dani. It was of Dani, Darcy, and a young man with black hair all gathered in what looked like an old garage “What's this?”

 

“Darcy's old workshop, when we first got it set up,” replied Dani, taking the photo and smiling softly. “I haven't seen this photo in years. Didn't think the Finches had a copy of it.”

 

Pepper leaned over Dani's shoulder to look at the photo, one finger rising to point at the black-haired boy. “Is that...Loki?”

 

“Yep,” confirmed Dani. “That's what he looked like when we were younger. Really doesn't look much different now except he's a little taller.”

 

Tony nodded slowly, staring at the image. “Does it ever disturb you guys? The fact that he lied about who he was to you?”

 

“It's like I told Steve,” replied Dani with a shake of her head. “'Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies'. We never asked, so he never had to lie.”

 

“C'mon, you guys really never even asked?” challenged Tony in disbelief. “You're both scientists. You must have been curious.”

 

Dani shrugged again, setting down the picture and sliding it towards Tony. “I never said we weren't. But we also knew if we asked, he might lie. We all have our secrets, Mr. Stark. We weren't going to put Loki into a position where he had to lie to us. Simple as that.”

 

“That still doesn't make sense,” muttered Tony. “I mean, you talk about trust, but why would you trust someone if you knew they might lie to you about anything?”

 

“Because he never screwed us over,” explained Dani. “He never willingly lied to us as far as we could tell and there was something about him that was...uncanny. Besides, we didn't discuss Darcy's parental issues with him and he never pushed even though the tension was thick enough to cut. To us, that was enough to warrant our trust, which meant trusting him enough to not push.”

 

“But-” started Tony, only for Pepper to cover his mouth.

 

“Enough Tony, they didn't ask,” stated Pepper with a sigh. “That's all that matters.”

 

He muttered and tried to speak but Pepper refused to remove her hand. Instead, she took a seat on the edge of the work table and looked towards Dani. “When he finishes with these pictures, could you give them to Darcy if she wants them? I'm not sure how badly I may have crossed her personal boundary, but her parents made it clear they wanted Darcy to have them.”

 

“Yeah,” confirmed Dani. “Loki can give them to her when he and Darcy get back.”

 

Pepper nodded, flipping another of the photos towards her. It was a very young shot of Darcy, maybe three, grinning happily between the Finches, who both looked happy beyond words. “They really did love her.”

 

“They've always loved her, and she knows that,” confirmed Dani. “She just has trouble _trusting_ them.”

 

Sick of having his mouth covered, Tony licked Pepper's palm, causing her to yelp in surprise and pull her hand away. “Tony!”

 

He just smirked at her. “What? I thought you liked my tongue.”

 

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Dani quickly moving away from the workbench. “Um, I'm just gonna leave now. I don't need to know any of this.”

 

“No, it's fine Dani,” assured Pepper, glaring at Tony. “Tony's going to behave, right Tony?”

 

“Uh, I _am_ behaving,” informed Tony with a smirk. He wasn't surprised when Pepper threw a glare at him that nearly made a shiver run down his spine. Okay, so bringing up their bedroom life in front of his surprise daughter's best friend might have been a bad move....

 

Shaking her head, Dani actually started chuckling. “You sound like Darcy.”

 

“Huh?” asked Tony, surprise taking over his features.

 

“Darcy does that sometimes, makes these inappropriate comments and then claims she's behaving,” explained Dani with a faint smile. “It's part of why I used to joke she might be a Stark.” Her smile fell some along with her eyes, her fingers fiddling with a random screw. “Never thought it might actually be true.”

 

Tony rubbed the back of his neck uneasily, eyes dropping to the workbench. “Yeah, well, I never thought I'd have a kid either.”

 

Pepper's hand lightly dropped to his shoulder, squeezing it softly. “This has taken everyone by surprise.”

 

Dani snorted slightly. “I'm not sure there's a way this _wouldn't_ take someone by surprise. Meeting your biological father and finding out he's actually your boss and friend is kinda like getting slapped in the face by a midget with a fish while walking down the street.”

 

“That's one way to describe it,” muttered Tony, shaking his head and switching out the photos again. One of the images caught his eye, making him pause. It was of Darcy, grinning at the camera like a loon. Her glasses were slightly skewed, face proud as she leaned backwards on the hood of her car. Her feet were resting on the front bumper and she was resting on her palms pressed to the edge of the hood. It was like looking at a proud parent.

 

Standing up, Tony headed for one of the corners of his workshop. He rarely used this corner and it would have been easier to ask JARVIS to pull up the digital copy, but somehow this felt like was something that he needed to do with hard copies. It felt wrong to do anything less.

 

Digging out an old box from it's hiding place, Tony flipped open the nondescript lid and shifted through the contents of his memory box until he found exactly what he was looking for. The small piece of photo paper that had come to mind as he'd looked at Darcy with her car. Of course, Tony wasn't with a car in this photo, nor was he anywhere near sixteen. Instead, he's closer to six and his photo companion is Dummy. But the smiles worn by both Starks, the way they look like proud parents....it's the same. Exactly the same. So much so that it's actually painful for Tony to examine.

 

He must have been gone for longer than he thinks, because suddenly there's a hand on his back and someone leaning over his shoulder from behind. A lock of Pepper's hair brushes against his face, drawing his attention as easily as the hand resting gently on his shoulder.

 

Idly, she squeezes his shoulder lightly and gestures at the photos. “She looks like you.”

 

“Just like me,” agreed Tony with a sigh, his eyes falling back to the images in his hands. “She's my little girl, Pepper. The little girl I never got the chance to raise.” Groaning, he dropped his head against Pepper's shoulder and looked up at her. “Think we could go after her grandparents for falsifying an adoption?”

 

Pepper shook her head sadly, hoping up on a clean corner of the table next to where Tony hid his memory box. “Unfortunately, there wasn't anything actually illegal about the adoption. You weren't named as the father and her grandparents didn't know who the father was.”  
  


“So they could just give my baby girl away without even attempting to find me?” asked Tony with a growl as he picked his head up to stare back at the photos. “That's just...” He dropped the photo of himself back in the box, using his now free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. God, he felt like he was going to vomit. Yeah, Darcy got lucky and found herself in a good home, but what if she hadn't? What would have happened then? “It makes me sick, Pep. Deeply sick.”

 

“I know it does, Tony,” assured Pepper gently, the hand on his shoulder sliding to rub his arm gently. “But it is what it is and we can't change that now.”

 

Leaning against the table beside Pepper, he let his head fall against her shoulder again and sighed. “I always figured if I was going to be a dad, someone'd slap me with a paternity suite early enough on that I'd have the chance to at least know the kid.” And that was really what hurt: the fact that he didn't get to be a dad. Yeah, he wasn't exactly father of the year material, but the idea of being a dad wasn't the worst thing in the world either. He could raise a kid from infancy to adulthood. And with Darcy, he wished he'd gotten that chance. “I wish I coulda been her father, Pep. I- I want to be a dad. Her dad. She's my daughter, it's not fair that I never got to be her father.”

 

He felt Pepper rest her cheek against his head, one of her hands reaching up to stroke his hair. “It isn't too late, Tony. You could still step in now.”

 

“Except now she doesn't want a father,” pointed out Tony. “And regardless, I still wouldn't get to raise her.”

 

“But she's in your life,” remarked Pepper. “She shares a workshop with you, invents with you, causes explosions with you.” Her head lifted from it's place against his for a moment before fingers were lifting his face towards her own. Blue met blue in a sharp moment of connection before Pepper continued. “You are her father, Tony. She might not call you that, but you're her father none the less. You try to keep her safe, screened her boyfriend in a matter of speaking, and you're there when she needs to cry. You reunited her with her dog and her car, laughed at her pranks, and opened your workshop and your home to her when she quit her job. Tony, you're as much a father to her as her adoptive one. Possibly more. And she loves you for it.”

 

“You think Pep?” asked Tony hopefully.

 

“I know,” insisted Pepper gently. “And I'm going to make sure that this gap between you two goes away. I'll find a way to make everything better Tony. Just watch.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um, so, I really owe everyone a huge apology for taking so long in updating this. Truthfully, I thought I HAD updated it to at least the fifth chapter. I didn't realize until today when I went to check something that I'd forgotten to post chapters 3, 4, and 5, all of which have been done for months. SO, um, I'm incredibly sorry for that....

Loki stared at Darcy with worried eyes for what had to be the hundredth time that day. Not that he didn't have a good reason to be worried- he had an excellent one. Namely, her continued silence and blank face.

 

He'd awoken that morning to find his lover with bags packed and looking expectant. She hadn't said much other than that 'I need to get home, I have things to do'. Par her demand's, he'd brought her back to their apartment just that morning. And for most of that morning, she'd done little more than what she'd been doing in Norway: staring out the window in deep thought.

 

Shaking his head, Loki closed his eyes and attempted to rest. This whole matter had made sleep difficult at best, so resting while Darcy was otherwise occupied (even if it was in a matter abnormal to her) seemed like a good course of action. She wasn't speaking and there wasn't much he could do until she began to talk. Any hope her request to return home would either unseal her lips or at the very least indicate a wish to return life to the norm was rapidly fading. Whatever happened though, it would be Darcy's call to make. This was her life, and she needed to take these steps forward on her own, even if he would be shadowing her the entire time.

 

The sensation of being shook drew Loki's attention away from his thoughts, which he realized had trailed off at some point to be replaced by calming darkness. His eyes were still closed but his mind felt heavy, as if he were waking suddenly. _I must have drifted off._

 

Opening his eyes, Loki found Darcy perched on the edge of the couch, looking anxious. Anxious wasn't good; it usually meant she was afraid she'd done something wrong and legitimately harmed someone who didn't deserve it. Had someone called or come by while he was asleep? By Odin, he hoped not. Darcy wasn't in a place to take visitors right now that weren't one of only a handful of people on a very, very short list.

 

“What haunts you, Darcy?” asked Loki with a yawn, sitting up more. He wanted to reach for her, hold her close, but her body language said no. Said she didn't want to be touched.

 

“I'm going to my lab,” replied Darcy, shifting uncomfortably. “I was hoping you'd come. You can sleep on my cot, I just...”

 

“You don't want to be alone if Tony appears?” suggested Loki knowingly. Darcy silently nodded. Not that it was surprising; the older genius could be rather indelicate when handling tricky social situations. His tendency to fall back on snark as a weapon or wall would potentially be the only safety Darcy might have. It was her own weapon of choice after all, and she knew all too well how to handle snark. It was raw emotion she clashed with. “Alright Darcy, but please do not be mad if I nod off.”

 

Darcy smirked a little, nodding slowly. “I know, inventing isn't your thing. You're free to sleep there, I just want someone else in my lab.” Which in Darcy speak meant him. She didn't ask for something if anyone would do. “I snagged a few physics books from Jane, too. You'll probably love those.”

 

“I have read every physics and mechanical book you have ever procured, Darcy,” pointed out Loki mildly as he sat up. “I doubt any books you have collected from Dr. Foster will provide me with information I did not already have.”

 

“Except I'm not much for astrophysics except where it effects space flight,” corrected Darcy as she finally stood and headed toward the bedroom to gather her things. “Besides, Jane's stuff is actually kinda interesting. Lots of gravitational effects and collisions.”

 

“Do those involve explosions?” questioned Loki curiously, tilting his head a bit at Darcy. “Usually collisions are only of interest to you if there are explosions involved.”

 

“If you consider half a planet going missing an explosion, then there are many,” confirmed Darcy, a bit of her old smirk returning to her face. Just that faint appearance reminded Loki how long it seemed to have been since he'd last seen her really smirk like that. A week without her smile was a torture he never wanted to endure again.

 

“Well then, it might be worth a look,” agreed Loki, his own smirk matching hers. “After all, one can never know too few ways to destroy a planet.”

 

The smirk turned to a chuckle, though it was significantly weaker than her normal laugh. “Should I be worried about teaching a man who tried to take over Earth how to blow up planets?”  
  


“Possibly,” admitted Loki. One of his hands reached for her arm, drawing her down onto the couch beside him. “But remember, I am a _reformed_ invader.” His forehead came to rest gently against hers seconds before he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “After all, I have found something far more worth my time.”

 

“Far more,” agreed Darcy with a smirk, pulling him back for a second kiss. They stayed that way for a moment, lips pressed together in a reminder that they had each other. It was Darcy who broke the kiss, drawing slowly back to meet Loki's eyes. “I should probably be proud of the fact that I turned you, huh?”

 

“Perhaps a little,” confirmed Loki, his arms curling around her body to keep her close. “However, in my defense, I have been interested in you for years.”

 

“Still a compliment to me,” pointed out Darcy. “I mean, I can actually say I stopped a god from taking over the Earth.”

 

“We would have still been together even if you had failed to stop me, though,” stated Loki softly. “I had every intention of making you my queen and allowing you to build whatever your heart desired. I could have given you anything you wanted.”

 

“Except you already did that, Loki,” whispered Darcy against his lips. “I have you, my best friend, here and we're together. I get to sleep next to you every night and I get to wake up and cuddle and kiss you to my hearts content. What more could I want?”

 

“I have no clue, but if you are happy than so am I,” returned Loki, drawing her as close as he physically could and dropping one more kiss on her lips. “Must we really go to the lab today? I can think of so many more entertaining activities we could partake in.”

 

“Yes,” stated Darcy with a chuckle. “I have deadlines to make otherwise my ass is probably fired.”

 

One of Loki's eyebrows rose as he leaned back enough to meet Darcy's eyes. “After the week you have had, if anyone fires you than I will personally kick their arse to Svartalfheim. No one will fire you for needing to take a few days away.”

 

“I was gone for a week and a half,” corrected Darcy, frowning slightly. “And I might be pissed, but that doesn't mean I want to ruin SI. It's my name on there too, even if I never knew it until now.”

 

Sighing, Loki pressed one more kiss to her lips before releasing her and standing. “Very well, to your lab it is then.” His arms curled around her waist and in a blink they stood in the parts-strewn, machine-laden room that was Darcy's workshop.

 

Almost immediately, the genius moved to one of the many lab tables scattered about the room and picked up a few stacks of papers, flipping through them. From what Loki could tell, they looked like contracts. Loki, for his part, just shook his head and headed towards the cot she kept in her lab. It wasn't abnormal for Darcy to become quickly distracted by whatever project was moving through her head or idea she'd had. He'd seen it happen so many times, Loki didn't take offense anymore. It was just a reality of dealing with Darcy. Or Tony for that matter.

 

Flopping onto the cot with a sigh, Loki closed his eyes and let his mind drift. It didn't take long for him to drift off to the sounds of Darcy moving about her shop as she worked to create her masterful inventions.

 

\-------------------------

 

The sound of the doors to Darcy's lab hissing sent Loki's eyes flying open. A glance towards Darcy's work bench told him she was still there, headphones in, tuned out from the world. She hadn't noticed someone entered her lab. He was off the cot in a second, maneuvering towards the doors with every intention of stopping anyone from bugging Darcy. Especially Tony. As much as he respected the mad genius, he didn't trust him to handle Darcy right at this moment. The only one he would consider letting through was Dani.

 

Heading around a large piece of technology that seemed to do little more than blink angrily, Loki nearly knocked down the intruder. Steve, great. Just who Loki didn't want to see. Though the good Captain had lost any chance at Darcy's affections, Loki still found the man's presence disturbing. So standing tall, he proceeded to stare down the American 'golden boy', who tried to do the same in return.

 

“Rogers,” greeted Loki at last, never stepping back or standing down. He wouldn't give the hero that satisfaction.

 

“Loki,” returned Steve, arms crossing over his broad chest. “What are you doing here?”

 

“I am ensuring no one bothers Darcy unnecessarily,” replied Loki, smirking a bit. “She has made it quite apparent that she has no interest in speaking with _anyone_ but me.” He placed a special emphasis on the word, driving home the need for the man to leave. Now.

 

Shaking his head, Steve shifted his stance a little. “That doesn't sound like Darcy.”

 

“Yes, it does,” stated Loki, disbelief leaking into his voice. “Darcy _despises_ people at times. She frequently isolates herself to avoid the over-whelming irritation that comes from those of lesser intelligence. I should know, I have watched her do so many, many times. Just as Tony does.”

 

They stood for a moment longer, locked in their stances as both attempted to exert superiority. Not that Loki needed to really exert it; he was the only one who'd actually been asked to be present in the lab. That gave _him_ the right to exert power over whoever was in the space except for Darcy. She would always have the right to exert her power over him when he was in her workshop.

 

Steve was the first to break his stance, pinching the bridge of his nose in clear and apparent frustration. “Look, I just wanted to make sure she's alright. All of you disappeared for a week and when Dani showed back up, it was like she was a shadow of herself. Tony is driving himself crazy, Jane has barely managed to get any work done in the past week, and everyone is worried sick. I just want to make sure she's not some....zombie!”

 

For a moment, Loki almost faltered. He could understand Steve's concern; Loki was worried about Dani, too. His other friend hadn't been herself since leaving them in Norway. None the less though, Darcy had made it clear she didn't want to see anyone and when she put her headphones on, that was a sure sign she wanted to be left alone. “Well I can understand your concern, I cannot allow you to bother Darcy. She is otherwise occupied and has expressed her disinterest in being disturbed. And I have no intention of allowing you to disrupt her.”

 

Steve twitched in frustration, glaring at Loki over his hand. None the less though, he backed down. Apparently, even if he didn't trust Loki, he wasn't going to fight him on this matter. Instead, he dropped his arm back over his chest with an irritated sigh and leveled his glare at Loki. “Will you ask her to speak with Tony then? He's driving us all nuts.”

 

Ah, and there was the true crux of his visit. Well, likely part of it really was related to her well-being, but Loki liked to think it was a nefarious plot to get Darcy and Tony to talk. It made him feel better to feel like he wasn't the only conniving one in the tower. “Ah, so your true intentions appear.”

 

“No,” growled Steve. “My only intention is to check on Darcy. But since she trusts _you_ so much, I'm hoping you can talk some sense into her. Avoiding him isn't doing anyone any good.”

 

“She will speak to him when ready,” growled Loki, his eyes narrowing in an imitation of Steve's own glare. “This is a complex matter, Captain. Only she can decide when it is appropriate for her to speak with Tony.”

 

The look of pure frustration that crossed Steve's face was almost painful. “What's the point? Why delay it? Tony's her _dad_. She's his daughter. It isn't like they aren't going to discuss this.”

 

Part of Loki really wanted to just physically expel Steve from the lab rather than try to explain _why_ there was an issue to begin with. This was Darcy's fight, after all. But he also knew her exceptionally well, which meant he knew she'd rather hide in her lab and _never_ face the others again than explain this to Steve or, well, anyone. He still wasn't sure what was going to happen when Darcy ran into Tony or Jane again, but maybe if he warned Steve, he could trick the man into spreading the warning.

 

“That is not a matter for you to decide, Rogers,” informed Loki calmly, crossing his hands behind his back. “Matters such as these are rife with emotion, leaving all involved unsettled. Darcy included. To assume they will discuss the matter is presumptuous. Though I do not know Tony's thoughts on this matter, I do know Darcy is unsettled. It is as apparent as writing on the wall. And for this time, she likely will _not_ wish to discuss any of this. Perhaps eventually, but not now. She only wishes for everything to remain as it was, with none of the awkwardness likely to follow this discovery. And for now, until she settles with this idea, her wishes are the ones I shall reinforce. I will not push her to speak with Tony at this time. I will not discourage such communication, but I will not pressure her towards it either.”

 

Steve still looked unhappy, though his irritation had faded to concern. It was clear by the way his shoulders dropped with his frown that he was disappointed in the answer, but Loki was impervious to his guilt-inducing expression. Steve was paraded around as the pinnacle of human perfection, an example of what every man should strive to be. Just as Thor had been. But Loki knew the imperfections that lurked in his brother and he knew the man before him as just as imperfect as his brother had been. Others may wish to be like Thor or Steve, but he had no interest in being anyone other than himself. His imperfections were many but they made him who he was, and that meant he could do as he pleased, whenever he wanted to. He was accountable only to himself, and now Darcy. Everyone else could swan dive off the tower.

 

“I think that's a mistake,” stated Steve at last, shaking his head. “The longer this goes on, the worse Darcy will feel.”

 

“Then it is her mistake to make,” stated Loki simply, his eyes narrowing at Steve. “Given you have no point of reference for matters such as these, however, you will excuse me for not taking your words with more value. Without experiencing these emotions first hand, you have no way of knowing what is and is not a good course of action. Now, I think you should leave.”

 

Again, Steve's mouth opened as if he wanted to speak. Something stopped him though, his mouth falling shut as he released a sigh. “Fine then, do what you want. You always do anyway. Just make sure you actually _are_ doing what's best for Darcy, Loki. Don't make her live the same life you do just because you're lonely.”

 

“I would never subject Darcy to my own personal choices,” growled Loki, his eyes narrowing towards the super soldier. He could feel his rage spike and it took a lot of effort to keep it under control. His rage, when invoked, could cause quite a bit of damage. And destroying part of Darcy's lab would just land him in hot water with the genius. “Leave Rogers, now, before I throw you physically from this lab myself. I really do not relish the idea of replacing the doors.”

 

“I'm leaving,” assured Steve, shaking his head. He shot one more look at Loki like he didn't trust the man (which he clearly didn't) before leaving the lab.

 

It was only once the doors had hissed shut that Loki allowed himself to relax. A confrontation of that nature had been the last thing Loki had wanted to face, but if Steve knew Darcy was back then it certainly wouldn't be the last. He was a little surprised Jane and Tony weren't nearly breaking down the door. The only explanation was that they'd decided to show Darcy some respect and let her come to them. Or word hadn't reached them yet that she had made a reappearance (not that he didn't believe JARVIS had told Tony the second Darcy stepped foot back in her apartment).

 

Sighing in anticipation of more potential confrontations like the one he had just faced, Loki turned back towards where Darcy had been working and he'd been sleeping. Immediately, he wished he hadn't. In fact, he almost immediately wished that he'd followed Steve out the door. Because standing behind him, leaning on one of her server carts, was Darcy. Her ceramic 'Escaped Mad Genius' mug that she'd purchased at some point in his absence (likely off the internet) rested in one hand while her other one was clenched at her side in a fist. It was clear, based on her face, she couldn't decide if she was pissed or thankful (though he would guess both). Regardless though, at least one of those two options was likely to land him on the couch for the night, if not the rest of the week.

 

For a moment, Darcy just glared at him. Loki, for his part, tried to look apologetic but didn't bother to speak. He'd seen Darcy do this before and knew if he just remained silent, he would be safer than if he tried to explain. The memory of her throwing a wrench at him once for trying to defend her against a boy who'd been pursuing her hard at the time still weighed heavily on his mind.

 

The reality was that Darcy, no matter what state she was in, believed she was perfectly capable of defending herself. The problem was that, when she was upset and defending herself, whoever picked that fight usually got the full brunt of whatever she was feeling converted into anger. And as much as he didn't care for Captain Rogers, Loki wasn't mean enough to subject him to the firestorm that was an angry Darcy. Having a wrench flung at your head isn't fun and knowing Darcy, she might actually hurt the super-soldier. She and Dani had built a wrench launcher once, and he wasn't sure where it had ended up.

 

Darcy continued to stare at Loki, like she wasn't sure what to say or do. The conflict on her face deepened with each passing moment, even as the fist at her side flexed like she wished she had something heavy in her hand to throw. She'd once told him that the idea of actually beating someone with a heavy object sickened her. It was the primary reason why she'd been so shaken up after her stalker invaded her room: not because her second home was broken into but because she'd grabbed the first thing she could and beaten him senseless with it. That didn't mean she didn't enjoy throwing heavy objects around when angry though. After all, if it was thrown, it could be dodged.

 

Finally, after what felt like a millennium, Darcy moved. It wasn't to grab a heavy object though; it was to push past Loki without a word, half storming out the door in a way that warned Loki not to follow. It didn't bode well for Loki, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been all the same. Silence meant Darcy was trying not to say something that she would regret, and if she was actively trying to spare him than some part of her couldn't be too mad. Unfortunately, the size of that particular part would be what determined if he would wake up to robotic spiders in his clothes or not.

  
Sighing, because there really was no point in speculating, Loki dropped back onto the cot in the corner of the lab he'd decided to claim as his own and silently waited for his friend's return. As much as he wanted to go after her, the look had warned him to stay put. So stay put he would, until she came back and told him otherwise.


	4. Chapter 4

The kitchen was empty as Darcy half stormed in, the hand wrapped around her mug clutched tight. Loki had no right to tell anyone they could or couldn't see her. No one. She wasn't a helpless child, she could take care of herself damnit! She could have handled Steve!

 

_But didn't you invite him along to keep people from bothering you?_ challenged her mind.  _Didn't you ask him to come because you knew people might show up wanting to talk to you? Didn't you ask him to come along so there'd be someone to stand between you and everyone else?_ Okay, yes, she'd asked him to come along because she was afraid someone would come bug her, but that person was Tony! And she'd asked him along because....well, she wasn't sure why. But it wasn't to scare Steve away!

 

_Steve was going to pressure you to speak with Tony though, he said so himself_ , reminded her brain.  _He wanted to convince you to talk to Tony about him being your father. Isn't that the conversation you want to avoid?_

 

And there in lay the crux of the matter- she didn't want to talk to Tony about him being her dad.

 

Truthfully, she didn't care if Tony was her dad or not. She just didn't want things to change. She wanted to be able to keep her pseudo-family without things becoming awkward like real families did. Parents couldn't be your friends- they had to be parents. They had to act like they knew what was best for everyone and tell you what to do. Tony was a good person when he wanted to be, but the last thing she wanted was him telling her what to do. Acting like just because he was _biologically_ her father, he had some right to tell her what to do. He didn't even really _know_ her that well.

 

Walking to the coffee maker, she nearly groaned as she realized it was woefully empty. Great. Unless she wanted to go out and get coffee, she'd have to wait for it to brew. Wonderful. Sighing, she pulled her preferred blend of coffee from it's hiding place (far from Thor's reach or Jane's) and went about making her special dark brew. It could probably peel paint, but she really didn't care. That just made it all the better in her mind.

 

Watching the dark nectar drip into the pot as the machine slowly brewed, Darcy tried to appreciate the fact that she did have a few minutes alone. Yeah, she wanted coffee now, but at least this way she could calm down some before returning to her workshop. She knew Loki would still be there and this would give her the chance to regain her composure before facing him again.

 

Darcy was so focused on the coffee and calming down so she wouldn't do something rash like throw a wrench at Loki, she nearly missed the sound of someone else entering the room. Nearly because the loud crash of someone knocking something off the counter tipped her off. The string of curses that followed told her who was responsible.

 

For a long moment, she considered pretending she hadn't heard Tony send what sounded like the metal bowl of fruit crashing the floor. It was childish but damnit, she didn't feel like acting like an adult. Acting like an adult meant having a very uncomfortable conversation where-in she would probably end up wanting to punch Tony. His ego could be so big, she fully expected him to pull some dick 'I'm your father' move.

 

For a few moments, there was only the sound of his stumbling and cursing along with the re-dropping of metal bowl. When she heard the bowl drop for a third time though, she couldn't help glancing over her shoulder. Maybe Tony had Dummy picking up the bowl or something.

 

All she found though was Tony, hands shaking a little as he tried to scoop up the fruit. That he was nervous was an understatement. What he was nervous about though, that was an entirely different matter. He had the biggest ego of anyone she knew. He couldn't possibly be nervous about talking to her, could he? Nah, that made zero sense. And yet, when he glanced up and saw her watching, the way he jumped to his feet and acted like holding an armful of likely bruised and battered apples and oranges was perfectly normal said otherwise.

 

“Hey Darce,” greeted Tony, quickly depositing the fruit back in the bowl and shuffling his feet a little. She didn't miss the fact that he had kicked a few additional pieces of un-retreived fruit under the counter. “You're back.”

 

Darcy nodded once, biting her lip a bit as she considered what to say. Yeah, she'd been back for less than a day and she hadn't called him right away. He was probably going to have a cow about that. Not like he had any right to know when she came and went- he sure as hell didn't announce it. Then again, the papers usually did that for him. “Yeah.”

 

He nodded rapidly, swiping his mug off the counter and heading for the coffee maker as well. Right, coffee. Their equally shared vice. “That's great, welcome back.” His hand reached for the coffee pot handle, only stopping when he realized the coffee was still brewing. Clearing his throat, he shifted a bit uneasily and glanced as her again. “So, have fun?”

 

She shrugged a little, eying him wearily. Where was the boisterous guy who ran around the mansion he (admittedly) owned like some kind of king? Where was the guy who had no problem walking half naked passed the press like he was wearing the best clothes in the world? Seriously, where was the narcissist? This was worse than the guy trying to be pushy about being her father. “Not really. Wasn't exactly a vacation.”

 

Tony's own eyes fell to the percolating coffee, like he could will the machine to brew faster. “So, I dropped a few more contracts off in your workshop. Just a couple projects I thought you might find interesting.”

 

“Saw them,” stated Darcy quietly. Work. Okay, work was a safe topic, right? Maybe she could get him going off about engineering. Engineering was a safe topic with absolutely no personal pitfalls they could possibly run into. “The wireless power system for a server set looks interesting. It's going to be hard to keep the energy levels from frying the circuits though. You'd need a transmitter in the room itself to do what they're talking about for that big of a set-up.”

 

“I have some electricity buffering materials I developed for a few SI projects that were never implemented,” offered Tony. “You can try one of those.”

 

“Yeah,” confirmed Darcy, her body slowly relaxing against the counter. Building and inventing, this is what they did. They built things. “But server maintenance will be a pain. Even if I can get a system set up to protect the servers, anyone needing to work on it would have to disable the entire electrical system for the room to do so. The only alternative would be to build a shielded electrical room with server box access facing outward.”

 

“We could do it though,” stated Tony with a shrug. “That system would be implemented in the SI offices first, then placed on the market for mass distribution as a possible green solution if we can prove it works as one.”

 

“I can set it up so you have less energy loss,” offered Darcy, shrugging a bit. “I think I loose maybe 5% of the power transmitted by my devices over open space, but if the transmitter where in the center of a largely sealed space, the energy wouldn't have anywhere to go except to the transmitters. It'll take some testing though. Probably can reduce loss to less than 1%.”

 

“That sounds optimistic,” remarked Tony, cocking an eyebrow at her.

 

Darcy shrugged, smirking a bit. “But aren't you the one who keeps saying I'm one of the best?”

 

“True,” confirmed Tony, smirking back a bit. It softened a little after a moment, in a way that made Darcy twitch and glance hopefully at the coffee pot.

 

Realizing it was done brewing, she rapidly poured herself a cup and waved a little. Things had been normal for a moment, but she needed to get out of there. Now. Before they got awkward. “Right, well, I'm gonna go invent....stuff.”

 

Tony cleared his throat a bit, looking awkwardly at the coffee maker. It made Darcy feel better to know she wasn't the only one who found this whole situation uncomfortable. Then again, when she thought about it, Tony didn't exactly have the best role models for parents either. From what she'd heard, his dad had basically ignored him. Tony didn't really talk about it, but Pepper was more open on the subject.

 

“Right, let me know what you need,” stated Tony simply, shrugging a bit and pouring his own cup. “I'm around if something blows up or you want to blow something up.”

 

That made Darcy smile a little. She did like blowing stuff up. “I'll keep that in mind.”

 

“Don't electrocute yourself,” added Tony, the comment off-handed and more teasing than actually worried. “We don't need the lab to smell like burning flesh.” The last part was sarcastic and Darcy recognized it for what it was: his covering an uncomfortable situation with something he knew.

 

“Just make sure you don't blow out the glass again,” countered Darcy, her own sarcasm slipping in. “It took days to dig all the glass out of my Tesla coils.”

 

“Why do you have those anyway?” questioned Tony curiously. “I know you don't use them for electricity.”

 

Darcy shrugged, smirking a bit. “I swore as a kid when I had a proper lab that I'd have Tesla coils and Vandergraph generators. They make cool science noises. We need science noises to do science.”

 

The grin that cracked across Tony's face was reassuring. “I thought that's what the blow torches were for.”

 

“Well, you invent,” stated Darcy with a shrug. “I play with electricity. The Tesla coils are appropriate.”

 

“Whatever you say Darce,” dismissed Tony with a shake of his head. His grin was back- the old one from before all this father-daughter shit came up. The teasing one he'd give her when she did something he didn't get but thought was ridiculous all the same. He raised his cup to take a sip, waving a bit as she turned and headed back towards her labs.

 

For a first encounter, it wasn't the worst it could have been. It still wasn't something she wanted to repeat though. And she really didn't want to spend a lot of time with him yet, because that would get awkward. A few minutes in the kitchen while coffee was brewing? Fine. Longer than that without something to blow up? No. She didn't want to go there. Maybe if she ignored him long enough, dodged him for long enough, they wouldn't have to discuss this. Not that he seemed keen to deal with the whole mess either.

 

Taking a sip of coffee, she headed back down into the labs. Loki was probably pacing a hole in her floor, and she should really give him a hug. He was just protecting her earlier, after all. They'd also be having a long talk about him talking for her though. It wouldn't be happening again.

 

\------------------------

 

Darcy was almost to the lab when she ran into Jane. The astrophysicist had her nose buried in a file, head ducked downward as she charged around the corner and nearly ran flat into Darcy. It was only the former-interns quick reflexes that saved them from an actual collision and hot-coffee shower. Jane did slip in the passing though, landing on the ground with an oomph.

 

“Jane!” exclaimed Darcy, her intern instincts kicking in as she set her coffee on the ground and hurried to help up the astrophysicist. “I thought we talked about reading and walking being dangerous. Do you remember Erik and the knocked-over white board?”

 

“My calculations were ruined,” muttered Jane, shaking her head as she scrambled to gather up her papers. She didn't even acknowledge Darcy was there and for a moment, Darcy played with the idea of escaping. Then Jane looked up and blinked at her. Hard. “Darcy? When did you come back?”

 

“This morning,” sighed Darcy, retrieving her cup of coffee and taking a long sip in the hopes it would calm her nerves a little. Jane shouldn't have been the scary one, but she somehow was. Things with Jane were just as likely to get awkward as with Tony, just in a different way. Tony could pull the 'I'm your dad' crap, but Jane could pull the 'I'm your older cousin' crap. Plus, Jane was a lot more high-strung than Tony.

 

Shooting to her feet, Jane moved like she wanted to hug Darcy, then pulled back in a confused way. Like she wasn't sure what to do. Admittedly, Darcy may or may not have recoiled when Jane moved towards her. Shifting a moment, Jane looked awkwardly down at her files. “So, how was your trip?”

 

“Good,” replied Darcy, shifting uneaily and looking towards the wall. “Cold. Norway is chilly.”

 

“I've heard it's cold,” affirmed Jane. There was something that sounded like shuffling from her general direction. Well, at least Darcy wasn't the only uncomfortable one. “Are you feeling better?”

 

Darcy shrugged a bit, glancing at Jane quickly before refocusing on the wall. “Kinda? I don't wanna punch anyone anymore. Figured that was an improvement.”

 

“Slightly,” agreed Jane, her voice disapproving. Great. She didn't need Jane's approval, thank you very much. Her former boss' voice softened with her next words, making Darcy tense. “Darcy, I know it's a shock, but we were at least friendly. And now we're family. You could talk to me before and you still can now.”

 

Except before Darcy would have felt awkward talking to Jane. She still felt awkward talking to Jane. Jane was her former boss. Yes, Jane rocked. The woman was like a good version of a mad scientist. If Jane ever went bad, the world was doomed. But that didn't mean they had been besties before. Jane had ranted at her more than once, but the scientist couldn't have told anyone anything about her. And that was something Darcy wasn't willing to change yet. Just because they were cousins didn't mean Jane had to suddenly be her best friend. And it didn't give her any right to dig into Darcy's life in any capacity.

 

“Right, I'll keep that in mind,” dismissed Darcy, heading for the door that lead down to her lab. She needed to get out of there, before she did something rash. It wasn't Jane's fault, she probably was just trying to be helpful and supportive. But the thing was, Darcy didn't want Jane's support. She wanted to get back to her lab and start building things again. Make things explode. This whole situation was just too weird and there wasn't a good way to make Jane and Tony see nothing had changed and they were still the same people. Blood didn't mean squat, family were the people you chose to lean on.

 

Hurrying down the stairs, Darcy nearly bolted back towards her lab. She needed to get inside where she was safe. Besides, she needed to talk to Loki. Yeah, she didn't like the way he'd handled Steve earlier, but he was just trying to keep her safe. Trying to act as a barrier between her and the awkward situation she was finding herself in. It wouldn't work of course; eventually she'd have to face reality. But after speaking with Jane? She could appreciate what he'd done.

 

Loki was sitting on the cot when she entered, his leg jiggling slightly as his head rested in his hands. Both of his elbows were propped on his knees and there were definite marks of distress in the way he sat. It made Darcy wince inside.

 

Quietly, she set her coffee cup on her desk and approached Loki. “Loki?”

 

His head shot up at her vice, eyes blinking at her in surprise. “Darcy, are you well?”

 

“Kinda shaky,” admitted Darcy, stepping up so she could stand between his knees. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her forehead dropped to rest against his as the groan she'd been holding in since running into Jane finally escaped. “Sorry for being a bitch about Steve earlier.”

 

“I understand, Darcy,” assured Loki gently, one of his hands rising to run along her spine. “My actions were out of bounds, it will not happen again.”

 

His lips pressed softly against hers for a moment, gentle and reassuring. He was there for her, like he always had been. His primary concern was her safety, and if he thought she wouldn't be okay, he wasn't going to let anyone near her. She didn't need it, but she could appreciate the gesture.

 

When they parted, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and squeezed once. “Thanks Loki. I appreciate that.” Sighing, she stepped back from her friend and turned to her desk again. If he got too good a look at her, he might see how shaken up she still was from her encounters with Tony and Jane. Saying 'I'm shaken up' and actually _looking_ shaken up can have two very different impacts. And right now, the only thing that would settle her was inventing. “Look, I've got a lot of work to do, so I'm gonna lock down the lab. If you wanna go home and sleep, you can. It's gonna be pretty boring here.”

 

Shaking his head, Loki settled back on the cot and closed his eyes. “I would rather remain here, with you. Even if the others are unlikely to appear, back-up is always a good idea.”

 

“Thanks Loki,” murmured Darcy, offering him a smile before she settled back at her desk to work. It probably wasn't healthy to pour her emotions into work, but hey, she'd been doing it for years. She wasn't ready to face any of this and if inventing helped her put it in the back of her head for a little longer, so be it.


	5. Chapter 5

_(One Week Later)_

 

Shifting uncomfortably, Dani forced herself not to tap her foot as the elevator rose towards the top floor of Stark Tower. It was a nerve-wracking ride, mostly because she'd been summoned there by none other than Pepper herself. She'd gotten a chance to speak with the Stark CEO at length when they were flying back from Colorado, but she still found the woman intimidating. Namely because she ran all of Stark Industries. And anyone who could keep Tony Stark even part way in check was someone to fear.

 

The doors dinged as the lift stopped at the top floor, sweeping open to reveal the large anti-chamber outside the CEO's office. Gulping a bit, Dani stepped into the main area and glanced towards the secretary's desk. However, the desk was empty and the door to the main office was ajar. Well, apparently she was expected. Pressing open the door to office slightly, Dani stuck her head inside and glanced towards the main desk in the room.

 

Pepper glanced up immediately from her files, offering Dani a smile and waving her inside. “Dani, come in. Close the door behind you, too. Margaret is out at the moment and you're my only appointment for an hour.”

 

“I didn't think it was normal for the CEO's secretary to abandon her post,” replied Dani as she slipped inside. “Who else is going to keep Tony from bursting in unannounced?”  
  


“No one can stop Tony when he doesn't want to be stopped,” stated Pepper with a shake of her head, motioning for Dani to come around the side of her desk.

 

“You mean you didn't give her permission to taze him?” joked Dani, following Peppers instructions and stepping around the edge of the desk to look at whatever the CEO had on screen. Several windows were open, all displaying different places around the city. It was like a sight-seeing guide for New York.

 

“She'd taze him every time he stepped off the elevator,” explained Pepper with a shrug, “not that I'd blame her.”

 

“Who could?” countered Dani, leaning her hip against the side of the desk. “At least a tendency to flirt with anything in a skirt wasn't something Darcy inherited from Tony.”

 

“I don't see anyone in Jane's family being as promiscuous as Tony,” stated Pepper. “It was probably her saving grace.” Tapping on the screen to bring Dani's attention to the display, Pepper indicated several different web pages for various places around New York City. “I want to arrange a group outing, something to get Darcy in the same place as Tony.”

 

“Why?” asked Dani, raising an eyebrow even as she glanced at the various locations Pepper had chosen. “Isn't it better to let them sort this out on their own?”

 

Pepper's raised eyebrow conveyed her simple 'really?' better than anyone else Dani had ever met- Loki included. “Tony is the king of avoidance and from what I've seen of Darcy, she comes in second just barely. If we don't encourage them, they will never deal with this.”

 

Dani sighed heavily, shaking her head a bit. “You have a point, but this still feels wrong. If we push this, Darcy and Tony could get into a worse fight than before.”

 

“Or they could start talking,” argued Pepper with a sigh. “I'm concerned this could make things worse, too. That's why I asked you here; I want you to help me select a location. We're going to market this as a group outing with everyone there to reduce the pressure. If we can just get them in the same room, I'll be happy.”

 

It still didn't feel right to Dani, but she had to admit that Pepper had a very valid point. “Alright, where were you looking?”

 

“Well, I thought we could go to the zoo in Central Park,” suggested Pepper, pulling up one website. “It's considered a good family place. It might inspire them.”

 

“Darcy doesn't like zoos, she says they smell and animals aren't that interesting,” dismissed Dani. “She likes animals, but doesn't like seeing them in cages.”

 

“Alright,” sighed Pepper, clicking onto a second tab. “What about the American Museum of Natural History?”

 

It was Dani's turn to give Pepper the 'really?' eyebrow. “The last time I went to a museum with Darcy, we nearly got arrested when she decided to try to take apart one of the exhibits to see if she could make it work.”

 

Even Pepper looked surprised about that one. “What was the exhibit on?”

 

“Nikoli Tesla,” replied Dani with a shrug. “She got it working, the museum staff just didn't find it amusing.”

 

“I'd imagine not,” muttered Pepper as she closed two more tabs without even opening them. “No museums then.”

 

“I suspect Darcy is banned from all museums in the country,” agreed Dani. “The staff was pretty angry.”

 

“What about-” started Pepper, but Dani cut her off.

 

“Can I suggest something?” asked Dani, an idea slowly forming in her head.

 

Pepper glanced back and nodded, curiosity written across her face. “By all means, it's why I asked you here.”

 

“Do you have any amusement parks on here?” asked Dani, scanning the tabs listed along the top of the browser.

 

“Amusement parks?” repeated Pepper in surprise, looking back at the computer tabs and shaking her head. “No, I thought those would be too young for our purposes.”

 

“Maybe if Tony and Darcy were normal people,” agreed Dani, pulling up a new tab and leaning across Pepper to type in a search for nearby amusement parks. “But 'normal' and 'Darcy' don't belong in the same sentence.”

 

“Nor do 'Tony' and 'normal',” agreed Pepper with a sigh that spoke of acceptance and slight aggravation. Still, the CEO watched silently, scanning the screen as Dani pulled up a list of amusement parks within three hours of New York City. “What about Cony Island?”

 

“No,” stated Dani firmly. She did not need them near the entrance to where she worked- the fact that there was actually a SHIELD research facility under Cony Island didn't need to be discovered. “We need somewhere with roller coasters and big rides. Someplace interesting.”

 

“We could fly down to Disney World,” joked Pepper. “They're certainly colorful enough.”

 

“As amusing as that would be,” chuckled Dani, clicking on a link to Great Adventure, “I don't really want to let Tony AND Darcy loose in the 'Happiest Place On Earth' or deal with them on a plane together for three hours.”

 

“True,” agreed Pepper with a sigh. “So why are roller coasters so important?”

 

“Because there was a game Darcy and I used to play when we went to amusement parks that Tony would love,” explained Dani, scanning the list of roller coasters. “We used to discuss how best we could modify the roller coasters to ramp up the adrenaline rush while keeping them safe. Basically coaster design to the max.”

 

“Oh god, Tony would love that,” agreed Pepper with a groan. “He might actually try to build something like that.”  
  


“That's the point though,” reminded Dani. “You want him and Darcy to talk. Well, she loved the game before and I bet she'll still play it. Put her and Tony together and they'll probably go over everyone's heads with their designs.”

 

Pepper nodded slowly, leaning forward as she scanned the pictures on the website. “They'll begin talking about the interests they share. It will open doors.”

 

“Exactly,” confirmed Dani with a nod. “I think that might be our best bet. Plus, amusement parks are non-threatening. There's a lot of places to go, the group can split up, whatever. It's less pressure.”

 

“Less pressure is good,” agreed Pepper, a smile forming on her face as she took back her keyboard and pulled up another website. “And I think I know the perfect place.”

 

Both of Dani's eyebrows shot up as she nodded, looking over the website. Yeah, Pepper was right, this was perfect. “Sounds like a plan.”

 

“I'll call and reserve the park then,” confirmed Pepper, reaching for her desk phone. Dani stopped her though.

 

“It's probably better if we don't reserve the park,” insisted Dani. She wasn't about to tell Pepper this, but she knew if there were other people around then Darcy would feel safer. Feel like she could disappear into the crowd if she needed to. Pepper was trying to do the right thing, but Dani had been Darcy's friend for longer. She knew how to protect Darcy and give Pepper's plans the best chance of not going to hell. “If there's people around, I think it'll again make it less stressful.”

 

Again, Pepper raised a curious eyebrow but hung up the phone again all the same. “Alright. I'll see about reserving some tickets for Saturday. Do you you think you can convince Darcy to come along?”

 

“No,” sighed Dani, shaking her head. “But I'm pretty sure Loki can. I'll talk to him about it today.”  
  


“Good,” agreed Pepper. “I'll get everyone else on board.” Standing from her chair, the CEO rolled her shoulders a bit and grabbed her purse. “Would you like to get lunch?”

 

“I can't,” stated Dani with a sigh. “I have to be back to run Steve's monthly blood check. I'll call Loki on my way back, get him working on Darcy. I can talk to Steve about it, too.”

 

Pepper nodded, grabbing her keys and motioning for Dani to go first. “I'll speak with Tony today, then. If I can drag him out for lunch, I'll discuss it with him then.”

 

“Right,” confirmed Dani, pulling out her cellphone as she paused in the anti-chamber outside the office. “I'll see you later then, Pepper.”

 

“Have a good day, Dani,” dismissed Pepper with a smile, her own phone in hand. “And good luck with Steve.”

 

“Yeah,” mumbled Dani, shaking her head as she hit speed dial on her phone. “Luck is exactly what I need.”

 

\----------------------------

 

“Do I want to know what that object you've been working so diligently on is about?” queried Loki softly, his breath brushing the outside of Darcy's ear.

 

A smirk pulled up the corner of Darcy's lips. “You never want to know what I'm working on.”

 

“Of course I do,” objected Loki, pressing his lips to her neck. “You have often made comparisons between myself and the curious cat who got itself killed when I have, though.”

 

Sighing, she set the soldering torch she'd been using aside and carefully held up a copper bracelet. “I'm working on this.”

 

“Jewelery?” questioned Loki with a disbelieving eyebrow. He took in the target-like circle that made up the primary design and the large nature of the bracelet. The entire thing looked like pounded metal, with an overlay of criss-crossing lines which lay under the central circle, like a spiderweb resting beneath it's maker. The crossing lines were all silver metal where the disk was a darker metal and the base was copper. Outside of the curious design methods though, it looked very similar to a number of bracelets he'd seen modern women wearing. “Since when have you become interested in fashion?”

 

Smiling at Loki, she slipped the copper circlet on and spun to face a blank part of the workshop. She clicked the top of the band without a word and Loki watched as the disk split suddenly into four parts. The four elements slipped around the outside of her hand, folding against her palm to recreate the same circle design. Additional panels slipped up to cover the inside of her palm and fingers, creating something similar to an unfinished gauntlet. While the inside was covered, the outside skin was left exposed except where the bracelet covered her wrist.

 

“It's not a fashion accessory,” explained Darcy, lifting her hand towards the back wall and tapping another point on the back of the gauntlet. A blast of energy suddenly flew from the central disk and struck the wall. It was similar to the energy Tony's suit fired, but smaller and far more contained. “It's a weapon.”

 

“That is quite a toy,” muttered Loki, staring in awe at the star-burst pattern painting the wall in front of them. “How is it powered?”

 

“My wireless power system,” replied Darcy, flexing her fingers in the 'gauntlet'. “But, I've been experimenting with a energy collection system that can draw energy from the area around it. The trick is keeping it from draining anything electronic that's also in the area.” Picking up a screw driver, she started poking at something, though Loki couldn't see what. “If I can get the system online though, I can use this gauntlet even if I don't have one of my devices on me.”

 

“What is the range of your system?” asked Loki curiously. “I asked once, but you didn't have an answer at the time.”

 

Darcy shrugged. “The range is several miles if I've got multiple boosters online and have one of the catchers on me. Without the boosters though, I have to be within a mile of my distributor.”

 

Loki nodded, considering what she'd said. “So then, is your gauntlet powered by the distributor in our apartment?”

 

“I have a secondary wireless set up here in the lab,” explained Darcy. “However, it's working in conjunction with the one in the apartment. I've got a set of boosters running in the apartment and a set here. Both are set at the same frequency, so they're transmitting and catching from each other.” Wiggling her fingers again, Darcy made a face and started adjusting something else. “So what are you doing in my lab, anyway? Not that I don't enjoy your company, but this doesn't feel like a social visit. Or a 'I want to drag you to bed and have my wicked way with you' visit. So, what's going on?”

 

Nodding, Loki settled himself against her workbench and braced himself for the conversation they were about to have. He'd known this matter was not going to be easy to resolve when he'd agreed to speak with Darcy, but he also knew no one else had as good of a chance of convincing her as he did. “Pepper is discussing arranging a 'fun day' as she calls it at Hershey Park. She wishes for you to attend.”

 

“Of course she does,” stated Darcy with a sigh. “And she's not going to take no for an answer. She can make _Tony_ do stuff; I don't have a snowballs chance.”

 

“Dani will be there as well,” pointed out Loki. “As will I. It wouldn't just be you with Tony and Pepper.”

 

“I'm sure the rest of the Avengers will be there, too,” added Darcy with a shake of her head. “The problem is, I don't really want to go. Amusement parks are boring. They never take full advantage of their mechanical potential.”

 

Loki smiled a little, nodding. “I recall you and Dani causing quite a bit of trouble at an amusement park once.”

 

“It's not our fault they couldn't figure out how to fix their own damn ride,” argued Darcy. “Plus, we made it better!”

 

“It went three times faster than it was intended to,” pointed out Loki.

 

“We did the math, the materials could handle it,” dismissed Darcy. “Point stands though, I'm not going.”

 

Sighing, Loki opted to try another line of attack. “Why?”

 

“Because it's gonna be weird,” replied Darcy. Setting the screw driver aside, she deactivated the bracelet and set it back on her work bench. “Look, ever since I got back, I can't seem to have a normal conversation with Jane or Tony. It always feels like they're watching me, scrutinizing everything I do.”

 

“They're trying to learn more about you,” assured Loki. “There is no judgment in their actions.”

 

“It doesn't matter,” growled Darcy, jerking her screwdriver hard. “I still feel like a specimen under a microscope.”

 

Shifting so he was leaning forward beside Darcy rather than next to her, Loki tilted his head so he could catch her eyes. “Then come with us to the amusement park. Dani and I will be there with you, we can keep the scrutinizing personalities from coming out. Besides, you must admit, Tony is likely capable of designing some interesting upgrades for the rides. And I know how you enjoy planning ride upgrades.”

 

Darcy's hand paused mid-air, her soldering torch in hand as she considered his words before sighing and setting the torch aside. Turning on her stool, she gave Loki a resigned look. “Fine, but be aware I'm agreeing under protest.”

 

“It you truly protested, even I could not convince you,” pointed out Loki as he leaned over to kiss her forehead. “I doubt this will be as uncomfortable as you are making it out to be, though.”

 

“Says you,” muttered Darcy as she reached for her torch again. “Can I go back to making things explode now?”

 

“Unless you would be interested in being kidnapped from your work for a little while,” suggested Loki with one of his mischievous smiles. “I can think of many ways I might distract you from your concerns.”

 

“Hm...so be sexed up by a very creative god or sit here and play with fire and potentially explosive electronics...hard choice,” teased Darcy, even as she shut off her soldering iron, deactived and removed the device from her wrist, and threw her arms around Loki's neck. “I'm done for now. Kidnap me.”

 

Laughing, Loki wrapped his arms around her waist and teleported them from the labs.


	6. Chapter 6

“What about that one, Darcy?” suggested Steve in an almost hopeful voice. He gestured towards the looping monstrosity from which a chorus of screams were rising, though he looked less comfortable with this selection that he probably should given he'd picked it. Then again, pretty much everything in the park seemed to be making Steve uneasy, so Tony couldn't exactly say he was surprised. The whole park was basically a tribute to modern tech.

 

From the back of the group, Darcy cast bored eyes on the coaster, shrugging in disinterest. Her arms had been crossed over her chest since they'd gone inside and the perpetual look of boredom that prevailed across her features spoke to just how much she didn't want to be there. “Whatever you guys wanna do, Steveo.”

 

Tony almost winced at the pout that covered Steve's face, but Darcy seemed completely unphased. And really, who could blame her? Where had Pep gotten the idea for them, to visit an amusement park? With no booze? He'd probably get through to Darcy faster if they got drunk together. Now there was an idea. He should show up in her lab with a bottle of vodka. They might blow something up at some point if he did, but at least they'd have fun.

 

Glancing at Darcy, Tony noticed the way Dani leaned over and muttered something to her friend. The way Darcy's lips kicked up a little suggested whatever she'd said was pretty funny, too. The way his daughter (still really awkward to even think) looked like she wanted to laugh but resisted. It suggested they had something crazy in mind. The knowing look the two shared just reinforced that idea they were plotting something.

 

Then Darcy pulled out the park map, flipped to something, and made a remark in what Tony guessed was Norse. However, the look that crossed Loki's face, compete with raised eyebrow, suggested whatever she'd said probably wasn't going to be good for anyone. Or she'd said something extremely confusing, which was actually pretty possible. He'd heard Darcy rant before and she could lose him at times.

 

Falling back from the other Avengers, who'd crowded around Steve and were debating what to do next, Tony carefully slid in next to Loki (or as carefully as he could- Starks weren't great at the whole 'sneaking' thing) and nudged the God's shoulder. Which, based on how Loki moved away, was probably harder than he'd intended. Whatever, he just needed Loki's attention.

 

“So, uh, what are they saying?” asked Tony casually, though he was careful to keep his voice down. He might have mostly appeared overly boisterous and drunk, but he did have a little tact. Sometimes. When it suited him.

 

Loki barely glanced at Tony before gesturing vaguely towards a roller coaster across from them. “They are remarking on upgrades that could be made to improve the rides.”

 

Tony felt one of his eyebrows rise in surprise. Huh. That actually made some sense. “Anything they got good?”

 

The look of 'how would I know mortal?' that crossed Loki's face would have been funny if Tony actually cared. He was more interested in Darcy's ideas. Somehow, he suspected Dani wasn't contributing so much as prompting her friend. Either way, he was curious. Building roller coasters was something he'd wanted to do at five, but his dad had nixed the idea, telling Tony that he was way too smart for that shit. Apparently, Darcy wasn't so different. Or she was that bored- that was possible, too.

 

Feeling slightly more confidant (not), he took a deep breath and stepped up behind the girls, eyes scanning the coaster. “Pf, that thing doesn't deserve to be called a roller coaster.”

 

Both Dani and Darcy looked up at his comment; Dani nodded in agreement and Darcy giving him the same suspicious look she had before. The closed off gaze was somewhat unnerving, but Tony forced himself to ignore her blatant distrust. He wasn't completely sure why she suddenly didn't trust him, but he could prove he was trustworthy again. Probably. If he was lucky.

 

“It could use some work,” agreed Dani, gesturing to the coaster. “Maybe better speed?”

 

“Speed won't fix that thing,” dismissed Tony, turning a critical eye on the coaster. It was one of those wooden ones, older, but the track looked like steel. It had probably been updated if he had to guess, though it was still just an 'up and down, rapid turn' style ride rather than one of the more extreme looping ones. “Personally, I'd overhaul the whole thing and build an all steel structure, but that's me.”

 

“You don't need a full overhaul,” dismissed Darcy with a wave of her hand. “Reinforce the wood structure at the key supports and run the track on steel hidden in wood. It'll give you support without having to demolish the entire thing.”

 

“Yeah, but the wood is restrictive,” pointed out Tony, gesturing to the supports. “Look, even if you replaced that with steel, the wood still takes up a lot of space you could use to expand the thing.”

 

“You can expand up, too,” countered Darcy, gesturing to the limited height of the structure. “Look, see that drop?” She pointed to the highest point on the ride, culminating in the drop that would push the cars through most of the ride. “There's two ways you can improve this. More speed means more power, meaning more extreme stunts. You could remove that drop and replace it with either a steeper drop or create a caged, banked spiral inside. The tighter the spiral, the stronger the centripetal force. Use that force to launch the cars from the tunnel and up a second, steep incline. Include another cable lock if needed but, hey, get the cars going fast enough and you won't need that. Then drop the cars down an incline, let's say 300 degrees with the cross point of the graph at the top of the drop. You can use that to establish even more forward motion and throw the cars through one or more loops or even use some sharp banks and a few dark tunnels with drops to improve the adrenaline rush.”

 

Glancing back at the coaster, Tony considered what she was saying. It wasn't a horrible design system, but he definitely saw one major flaw. “Why use up all the initial potential momentum on the first stunt? Why not flip the initial drop and the second drop?”

 

“Because the centripetal force from the corkscrew will send the cars flying pretty far,” explained Darcy with a shrug. “You can throw some banks or sharp turns or whatever between the first and second drop, too.”

 

“You could also flip them and use the sharp initial drop to add in a large loop or even a horizontal cork screw,” pointed out Tony, tilting his head a little at the thought. “Actually, no cork screw. The cars don't have enough structure to support it.”

 

Dani's head tilted a little as she looked at the structure, eyes tracing the track for a moment. “Hey Darcy, remember those magnetic train systems you were playing with before we went to college?”

 

“The ones that had to be kept in the negative temperatures to function?” asked Darcy, raising an eyebrow but nodding all the same. “Yeah, what about them?”

 

“Did you figure out the friction issue?” inquired Dani, tilting her head a little as she stared at the track.

 

Darcy nodded slowly, eyes narrowing a little at her friend. “Yeah, levitation. Not sure how it would work with significant weight but I figured out a way that the car could be levitated off the track using magnetic repulsion. Why?”

 

“What if you used the superconductors with a four-track system?” suggested Dani, gesturing with her hands as she tried to explain whatever it was she was thinking of. Personally, Tony wasn't really sure he understood what she meant- was that a system with four tracks for four cars or one track with four rails?

 

Apparently, she recognized the confusion following her statement because she gestured wildly a few times to try to explain. “I mean four rails that the car connects to so it looks like an X. The connections are magnetized and that's used to power the cars.”

 

Darcy actually seemed to consider the thought, tilting her head slightly for a second before pulling out her tablet from her bag and scribbling something on the screen. She looked at it for a moment longer, then glanced up at Tony almost reluctantly before holding out the device. “The rails would have to be kept at negative temperatures for the magnets to work.”

 

“Reduce friction,” stated Tony as he tried to carefully take the tablet. That she was even sharing ideas with him was a step he'd happily take. It was better than apparent distrust or the complete silence she'd been treating him to since she got back from wherever she'd had Loki take her. The design was rapidly done, but he could see what she was getting at. Hook the support beams into a thick slide bolt-style system where the balls on the cars could be kept positively charged and the lines could use pulses to direct the cars. “Not sure this is safe for people with metal in their bodies.”

 

“I wouldn't really recommend heart patients ride this fictional monstrosity to begin with,” countered Darcy dryly. “Maybe Coulson, but at that point I'd be hoping for a ride failure.”

 

“Agent isn't that bad,” defended Tony absentmindedly. “Besides, from what I've seen, the man could probably walk away from a nuclear explosion. Pretty sure he's immortal at this point. Or cloned. Clones are a possibility.”

 

“Except then SHIELD would probably be nothing but Coulson clones,” pointed out Dani, her eyes scanning the coaster. “You'd have to keep the speeds within the restrictions of the human body or provide a counter to the forces, keep that in mind. Too fast and we'd probably lose control over the cars.”

 

“We could fix that,” insisted Tony, glancing up at Darcy hopefully. He had absolutely no doubt in his mind that if he and Darcy combined powers, they really could make anything work. He'd already been convinced of that before he'd known she was a Stark. At this point though, it was a given.

 

Dani let out a bit of a snort, glancing at Tony like she thought he was insane. “Two Starks on one project has to violate cosmic laws.”

 

For half a second, Tony's heart felt like it might stop. He'd been so careful, _so careful_ , to avoid actually reminding Darcy about the whole 'hey, you're a Stark' thing since it seemed to bother her so much. To have Dani so carelessly point it out was both shocking and infuriating.

 

Except when Darcy scowled at her friend and shook a head. “Dude, screw cosmic law. If we break something, well, we break something. The universe can deal.”

 

Tony practically felt his jaw hit the floor. Okay, that was the complete opposite of what he'd been expecting. He glanced over at Darcy, brow furrowing as he tried to process what she'd just said only to be distracted when Dani snorted slightly in dry amusement. “Right, I'll keep that in mind when the universe starts tearing itself apart.”

 

“Oh come on, we wouldn't screw anything up _that_ badly,” defended Darcy, her hands dropping to her hips. “I mean, it can't be any worse than some of the stuff we've pulled in the past.”

 

“Except now we have bigger toys,” pointed out Dani with a shake of her head. “I'm pretty sure that gives us more power to destroy shit.”

 

“Or build it,” countered Darcy, shrugging a bit as she glanced at Tony. “I mean, Tony blows stuff up every other day and he's managed to avoid destroying the universe.”

 

Shaking her head a bit, Dani pointed back to the coaster. “So what do you think, Tony? Darcy's design possible?”

 

“Uh,” the sudden attention back on Tony actually made his brain snap around a little. Listening to the two go back and forth was like watching verbal tennis. Having Dani suddenly dragging him back into the conversation out of nowhere was disorienting. “Yeah, probably. I mean, we'd still have the friction issue between the pole and metal. There's a pretty good chance it would shake and hit something unless we lined the track edges.”

 

“Could we line it with the cooling system?” suggested Darcy, her brow furrowing slightly as she walked around Tony to point at the edge of the track. “I mean, we'd only need to magnetize a portion of it, right? And we already figured out we need to keep the system cool.”

 

“You'd need something that could support the weight of the balls when the ride isn't moving,” pointed out Tony, gesturing to the drawing while angling the tablet back towards Darcy. “We could probably do it though. Maybe find a way to use metals that are excellent temperature conductors.”

 

“We could insulate the track too,” added Darcy, pointing along the top of the track. “If we added something to keep the cooler temperatures inside, like insulation in housing or something, it would help control the heat of the track.”

 

“Honestly, we might be better off cooling the track immediately before the cars hit,” remarked Tony, the design slowly solidifying in his head. He could see it doing the same with Darcy, her head tilting the way it did when she was piecing something together mentally. “We could experiment, too.”

 

“What, like build models?” asked Darcy, raising an eyebrow. “I'm not sure we could get enough heat unless we build a scale model to test. Even then, calculating out the actual heat the friction would generate wouldn't be exact unless we ran it as frequently as we thought it would actually be used.”

 

“And where would you build the model?” added Dani. “The heat friction would vary with season, so you'd have to build a model in the same place you'd plan to build the real one.”

 

“Unless we built a seasonal simulator,” countered Tony, his brain already jumping from roller coasters to a seasonal simulator. “We could build a room that could simulate whatever environment you wanted and test the scale model under different circumstances.”

 

“Kinda seems like a lot to do for a roller coaster,” remarked Darcy, brow furrowing a little. “Though, if you built one, you could use it for other stuff.”

 

“The tech we're talking about does have other applications,” added Tony, gesturing at the design. “You could all kinds of stuff with this tech. Experimenting with it using roller coasters is just a bonus. No reason you can't have fun when playing with tech.”

 

“True,” agreed Darcy, chuckling a bit as she motioned that she wanted her tablet back. Tony handed it over without an argument, catching sight of Dani as she pulled Loki away from them and towards the others. “So, what are you thinking for materials?”

 

\-------------------------

 

Pepper shook her head in awe as she watched Tony and Darcy hunched over a tablet. Apparently, Dani had been right. Something about this had somehow worked. Or, well, at least it had gotten them talking again. Now if Tony could keep from blowing it, they might have a chance at getting both genius' back in working order.

 

“How did you know this would work?” asked Pepper as Dani stopped beside her, one hand curled around Loki's arm still from pulling the god away. “I honestly thought this would fail when Darcy showed up looking as resistant as ever.”

 

“Mutual boredom is a great motivator,” explained Dani, releasing Loki when he pulled his arm away with a huff. “Take geniuses away from their toys and put them somewhere that they can't distract themselves and you're bound to have communication even among the most reluctant individuals. By the way, Stark has a pretty good insurance policy, right? In case they break something?”

 

“I was sure to alert the park,” assured Pepper, shaking her head. “They have additional security on the grounds.”

 

“Good, because they might destroy something,” admitted Dani with a shake of her head. “Right now they're talking about models and seasonal simulators but I've seen those conversations degrade to 'let's build this now with what we have' and there are a lot of raw materials around here.”

 

Pepper offered Dani a raised eyebrow. “This is Tony we're talking about. There's always a risk of something getting destroyed no matter where I take him. I'm relatively sure he's more destructive than Bruce under the right circumstances.”

 

“So, to be clear,” spoke up Steve from behind Pepper, causing both her and Dani to glance back at the super-soldier, “this is a way to get Darcy and Tony talking again? And we don't need to stay in a group?”

 

“Do what you want,” agreed Pepper, gesturing to where Darcy and Tony had wondered over to a cart and managed to obtain massive pretzels and something that looked way too sweet. The tablet was still between them though, their eyes glued to the screen. “Those two will be in their own world for a while.”

 

“Thank god,” muttered Clint, stretching slightly before he grabbed Steve's arm and started tugging the super-soldier towards a really big looking roller coaster. “C'mon Cap, we're gonna introduce you to the wonder of modern amusement parks.”

 

“Clint, no scaring people in the dark rides,” warned Natasha, shaking her head a little and offering Pepper an apologetic look. “Will you two be alright wrangling them? I need to make sure Clint doesn't get arrested. Again.”

 

“I'm going to guess bringing him to amusement parks doesn't generally go over well,” remarked Dani, watching the archer half push Steve into a queue for a really ridiculous looking ride.

 

Natasha laughed slightly, shaking her head. “The man is a former carnie. He knows a little too much about how these places work. And takes a little too much joy in startling people. I'm relatively sure he's blacklisted at Disneyland and Disney World. He's been thrown out of both at minimum.” A weary cry of “Natasha!” from Steve drew the former assassin's attention and prompted a laugh from her. “I'd best rescue Steve.”

 

“Make sure you take video of anything Barton does,” insisted Dani, giving Natasha a serious look. “I want evidence this time, otherwise it didn't happen.”

 

“Evidence can be incriminating,” countered Natasha, wincing as Steve called for her yet again, this time louder and in clear distress. “I'll consider it.”

 

“Consider it heavily!” called Dani, shaking her head a little.

 

Laughing slightly, Pepper turned back towards where Darcy and Tony had been moments ago, freezing when she realized they were no longer there. That couldn't be good. Glancing around, she realized Loki was gone as well. Definitely not good.

 

“Dani,” began Pepper, her eyes scanning the area for any sign of the two genius'. “Did you see where Tony, Darcy, or Loki went?”

 

“What?” asked Dani, blinking at Pepper momentarily before glancing back at the same spot where the two had previously been standing. “Shit.” She scanned the area as well quickly, though with notably more panic than Pepper had. “Maybe they went off to scout another roller coaster?”

 

Some kind of a small explosion and a shout quickly drew Pepper and Dani's attention. It was followed a second later by Darcy and Tony rapidly walking out from behind a corner and scanning the area as they quickly retreated across the park. Loki appeared a few seconds later, stepping out from behind a tree and quickly falling into pace behind them, offering Dani a nod before he disappeared into the crowd with the genius'.

 

“Well, at least Loki is following them,” pointed out Dani even as she began to hurry in the direction Darcy and Tony had headed.

 

Pepper quickly fell into step behind her, making a face. “Why do I suspect Tony is going to be the one thrown out of the park today, and not Clint?”

 

“Because it was unanimously decided that Tony and Darcy would only start talking again if they were forced into a situation where they were equally bored?” suggested Dani, pausing to scan the crowd for the genius' who were almost definitely going to get thrown out of the park at this rate.

 

“We are never going to an amusement park with them again,” stated Pepper, even as spotted the pair and headed after them. Somehow, she suspected today was going to end in something big blowing up. She just hoped there wasn't a law suit involved when everything was said and done.

 

\---------------------------------

 

Clint did end up getting thrown out of the park, though it was because he was caught climbing into one of the access tunnels under the park and not because he scared someone in a ride. That he was accessing the tunnels to show Darcy and Tony where the motor houses for the rides were so they could get a better look at the mechanics only made it moderately better. In the end, Tony just bought out the park to Pepper's horror, citing it was a great expansion direction for the company and a good hobby for him and Darcy. Pepper was not amused, silently praying the baby she was carrying would be somewhat less insane than it's father. Looking at Darcy though, she wasn't hopeful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know Jane got left out of this, but I promise the make-up with Jane will come along later. I'm just still playing with how Darcy and Jane will at least get back to talking and it's gonna take a while for Darcy to get there. Tony is Tony, the whole building thing makes it a little easier. Jane is more difficult though because, well, different subject of focus. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this. This isn't the last story in this series, there's another after this which I have started but it'll take some time before I put it out. I want it half-way finished before I post it. But there is more chaos to come, more surprises, and a new face or two. For this story though, I hope you all enjoyed it.


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